Fibrus to pay compensation for Storm Éowyn broadband disruption
Broadband firm Fibrus will pay customers compensation for disruption caused by Storm Éowyn.Domestic customers will receive £5 a day for service interruptions that lasted more than 48 hours, while business customers will receive £10 a day.Storm Éowyn brought winds of more than 90mph to Northern Ireland on 24 January, damaging electricity and telecoms infrastructure.Fibrus senior managers have been facing questions from a Stormont committee.
The company has said that 40,000 of their customers were without service at the peak of the storm.Just over 60 customers are still experiencing storm-related service problems.Shane Haslem, chief operating officer at Fibrus, said the company could have triggered a "force majeure" clause meaning they would not have had to pay compensation but it chose not to.Force majeure is a legal term that refers to an extraordinary event that makes it impossible for a party to fulfill their contractual obligations.
Fibrus managers defended the firm's response to Storm Éowyn.Dominic Kearns, the chief executive, told the committee that because a large part of its network was focused on hard-to-reach rural areas , its infrastructure was predominately overhead cables.He said if the network was fully underground it would have been 10 times more expensive to build.
'Unfair' to compare speed
Mr Kearns said the ability of Fibrus to restore service in the early stages "relied heavily" on NIE restoring their network.The company also uses infrastructure owned by another firm, Openreach, for 80% of its network.Mr Kearns said it had been "unfair" to compare the speed at which electricity and broadband had been restored."Fibre networks are more complex in their nature and take longer to repair," he told the assembly members.He acknowledged effective communication was "challenging" in the early stages of storm and it was only after electricity had been restored that they had a full picture of network damage to share with customers.He added that updates could have been more frequent and detailed."Many of our customers will not be aware of the dependencies [on NIE and Openreach] and we intend to publicise this more clearly in the future," he said.In 2020, Fibrus received £165m government funding to improve rural internet connectivity in Northern Ireland.The firm started redundancy consultations with some construction staff last year under plans to grow its customer facing areas and reduce the workforce in network construction.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
20 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Openreach urges Cumbernauld homes to upgrade broadband
More than 13,000 homes and businesses in Cumbernauld are eligible to upgrade to Openreach's Full Fibre network, but only a fraction have made the switch. Despite a £3.9 million investment and coverage reaching more than half of the town, just over one in five properties have upgraded. (Image: Supplied) Read more: New Glasgow letting agent aims to manage 1,000 properties in two years Robert Thorburn, Openreach's partnership director for Scotland, said: "Fast and reliable full fibre broadband gives households and businesses a significant boost. "As the UK's leading provider of fibre infrastructure, Openreach is at the forefront of the digital transformation, connecting communities all over the UK and future-proofing the network for decades to come. "Our extensive network – the largest in the UK – means residents can shop around and find the best deals that suit their needs. "But it's important to remember that upgrades don't happen automatically. "People need to order it to take advantage of the technology." The uptake challenge extends beyond Cumbernauld, with neighbouring areas such as Shotts, Cambusnethan, and Greengairs also lagging behind in adoption. Across North Lanarkshire, more than 85,000 properties now have access to Full Fibre. The technology is said to provide" gigabit-capable speeds", which allows multiple devices to connect simultaneously without slowing down. Mr Thorburn said many eligible residents might not realise they need to actively request an upgrade. He said: "It's important to remember that upgrades don't happen automatically. "People need to order it to take advantage of the technology." (Image: Supplied) Read more: Meet the Glasgow pupil who raised hundreds of pounds to buy a life-saving device Openreach says Full Fibre is suited to streaming, gaming, video calls, online banking, and business operations. The company also notes that newer broadband packages are increasingly competitively priced, with some customers potentially paying the same or less than their current bills. Openreach's Full Fibre network currently reaches more than 18 million properties across the UK. The company aims to expand this to 25 million by the end of 2026 and believes it could reach 30 million by 2030 with the right investment conditions. Residents can check their eligibility using Openreach's online Full Fibre checker.
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Daily Record
Full fibre broadband with gigabit-capable speeds coming to Hamilton
This is a major infrastructure upgrade, so there will be more engineering teams, equipment and vans around town. Openreach has started work to build a new broadband network for Hamilton – which they say will give residents and businesses access to some of the fastest, most reliable broadband anywhere in Europe. The once-in-a-generation, full fibre broadband upgrade will let thousands of local people connect multiple devices at gigabit-capable speeds and help businesses trade online and compete for decades to come. Engineers have started work in Hamilton and the build is expected to reach the majority of local homes and businesses. Fibre technology provides more reliable, resilient and future-proof connectivity, with fewer faults; more predictable, consistent speeds; and enough capacity to easily meet growing data demands. It boosts every online experience, from seamless streaming and gaming for households to smooth video calls, banking and customer interactions for businesses, with much less buffering or slowdown at busy times Local people can visit to register for updates and, as the build progresses, check their addresses to see when services are available from their chosen provider. Download the Lanarkshire Live app today The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now. Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7. The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you. Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android Robert Thorburn, Openreach partnership director for Scotland, said: 'We're bringing full fibre broadband to Hamilton and letting local people know what to expect. 'This is a major infrastructure upgrade, so there will be more engineering teams, equipment and vans around town, and we're working hard to keep disruption to a minimum. 'Wherever possible, we'll use our existing network of ducts and poles to avoid roadworks, new street furniture and disturbance. But there may be places where we need to install new poles, underground ducts and fibre cables because it's the only way to make sure households get included in the upgrade.' Openreach's full fibre network now reaches more than 18 million properties, and the company plans to extend this to 25 million homes and businesses by the end of 2026, with a belief it can reach as many as 30 million by the end of the decade – with the right investment conditions. You can find out more about the benefits of an upgrade to Full Fibre broadband on the Openreach website.
Telegraph
01-06-2025
- Telegraph
TalkTalk in row with Sky over fees as it battles customer exodus
TalkTalk is withholding millions of pounds from Sky as the struggling broadband provider battles an exodus of customers. The Telegraph has learnt that TalkTalk has been locked in a contractual dispute with Sky for a number of months over fees owed to the media giant. The dispute is understood to relate to Sky 's streaming service Now, which TalkTalk previously offered to its television customers as part of a bundled package with a single bill. The broadband company began phasing out this offering at the end of the last year. Sources close to TalkTalk insisted the dispute over volumes reflected changing viewing habits. The company also recently scrapped the option of including Netflix in its television packages. But it comes amid concerns about TalkTalk's finances as the broadband company grapples with large numbers of customers leaving. A source at one supplier said there was 'significant concern' about the company's ability to pay its bills. TalkTalk, which was founded by Sir Charles Dunstone, said it did not recognise this description of its finances. Suppliers squeezed TalkTalk's biggest supplier is Openreach, BT's network arm, which provides the underlying broadband connection for most of its customers. It is understood to be closely monitoring TalkTalk and its monthly payments. Suppliers to TalkTalk have previously been squeezed as the company struggled to shore up its finances. In 2023, the company extended its credit terms with some suppliers to as much as 300 days, while it has also made use of supply chain financing, which allows suppliers to obtain earlier payments via the company's bank. Companies that have faced late payments include The&Partnership, the advertising agency founded by Johnny Hornby, who also co-founded the Hawkstone beer brand with Jeremy Clarkson. Hornby is a personal friend of Sir Charles. While supplier terms are understood to have returned to normal, TalkTalk is facing fresh pressure on its top line. The company shed more than 400,000 customers in the year to February, taking its total to 3.2m. Customer losses follow heavy cost-cutting at the company, which has reduced marketing and customer acquisition costs by £50m. TalkTalk, which has traditionally been known as a discount broadband provider, is also facing tougher competition from a wave of challenger 'alt-net' firms that offer full-fibre services at cut-price rates. The shrinking customer base led to a 7pc fall in revenues to £1.4bn in 2024. This figure is forecast to drop further in the coming year. Meanwhile, TalkTalk slashed about 350 jobs last year, with further cuts expected in the coming year as the company prepares to roll out new customer service software from Octopus-owned Kraken. The figures underscore the continued pressure on TalkTalk's finances after it was rescued from collapse through an 11th-hour bailout. Sir Charles, TalkTalk's executive chairman, and other shareholders were forced to pump £235m into the company to stave off a looming debt default. The deal, which has given investment firm Ares significant control over TalkTalk, secured extensions to maturity deadlines covering about £1.2bn of debt. Looking for a buyer TalkTalk burnt through £285m last year, more than offsetting its emergency cash injection as it scrambled to pay back suppliers. The company is also still facing eye-watering debt costs. The company is now looking for a buyer for all or part of the business after breaking itself up into three divisions in 2023. It was previously in talks with Australian investment firm Macquarie about the sale of a stake in its wholesale unit for up to £500m, but a deal never materialised. Analysts have warned that the darkening financial outlook has made the prospect of dealmaking less likely. TalkTalk has said it plans to relaunch its offering to customers and will make further cost cuts as it shifts its customer base away from ageing copper networks to full fibre.
