Latest news with #DigitalInfrastructureProgramme
Pembrokeshire Herald
24-05-2025
- Business
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Gigabit-capable broadband coverage continues to rise in Pembrokeshire
THE ROLLOUT of gigabit-capable broadband in Pembrokeshire is progressing at an impressive pace, supported by the Swansea Bay City Deal's Digital Infrastructure Programme. Recent data highlights significant year-on-year growth in broadband coverage, reflecting the success of this initiative and its role in enhancing digital connectivity across the region. Coverage in the county has grown substantially. At the end of March 2021, only 7.6% of Pembrokeshire residents and businesses had access to gigabit-capable broadband. By the end of March 2024, this figure had reached 48.2%, and as of March 2025, it has risen again to 65.1%, demonstrating the program's momentum (Source: ThinkBroadband). The rollout has been bolstered by successful projects funded through the UK government's Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, ensuring that residents and businesses in more remote areas can access high-speed internet. Key to the success of the rollout in Pembrokeshire has been the collaboration of two Digital Champions, who have worked closely with Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC). These partnerships have been instrumental in scheduling civil engineering works around the county's bustling tourist economy and existing infrastructure projects, reducing disruption to residents and businesses. Additionally, a wide range of suppliers are actively contributing to the project. Companies like Openreach, Ogi, Voneus, and the local business Dragon WiFi have all played vital roles in expanding broadband access across the county. To further boost coverage, Openreach is delivering a £289 million contract as part of the UK government's Project Gigabit. This initiative will connect around 131,000 homes and businesses in some of the most remote areas of South Wales to reliable, high-speed broadband. The benefits of this expanded connectivity are significant, from better access to online services and improved opportunities for remote work and education, to supporting Pembrokeshire's growing local economy. Cllr Paul Miller commented, 'The progress we're seeing is a result of strong teamwork between the council, our partners, and the local community. We are committed to ensuring that everyone in Pembrokeshire benefits from fast, reliable internet access.' Cllr Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council and Chair of the Swansea Bay City Deal Joint Committee, said: 'Year-on-year increases in gigabit-capable broadband coverage in Pembrokeshire are a tremendous achievement. This collaboration plays a crucial role in boosting the local economy, opening up opportunities, and ensuring that everyone, whether they live, work, or visit here, can benefit from better connectivity.'
Business News Wales
23-05-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
Contract Awarded for Swansea Bay City Deal's £10m Better Broadband Infill Project
Swansea Bay City Deal's Digital Infrastructure Programme has announced that BT in partnership with Openreach has successfully been awarded the delivery contract for the Better Broadband Infill Project. The £10 million project will bring full fibre broadband to 1,533 premises and an additional 256 sites across the four counties in the Swansea Bay City Region – Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire. This project specifically targets premises that currently have broadband speeds of less than 30Mbps and who are not in scope for any existing government interventions such as Project Gigabit or part of commercial build plans. The homes and businesses included are predominantly in harder to reach, rural areas where the cost to provide faster broadband services is considerably higher. Cllr. Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council and Chair of the Swansea Bay City Deal Joint Committee, said: 'This project is a game-changer for our region. By bringing high-speed internet to areas that have been left behind, we are not only improving quality of life but also opening up new opportunities for economic and social development. Access to reliable broadband is no longer a luxury; it's a necessity. This project will ensure that everyone in the Swansea Bay region can participate fully in the digital age.' Susi Marston, Head of Public Sector Wales at BT, said: 'Connectivity is at the heart of how people live and work today but all of that relies on the right infrastructure being in place. 'The Better Broadband Infill Project will improve services for thousands of people across the Swansea Bay City Region who will benefit from state-of-the-art connectivity even in hard-to-reach areas.'The Better Broadband Infill Project is set to start this month and will continue its delivery across the region over six phases, with the first 220 premises connected by December this year and a completion date of March 31st 2027.'
Business News Wales
14-05-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
Digital Infrastructure Event Showcases Connectivity Progress in Swansea Bay City Region
An event hosted by Swansea Bay City Deal's Digital Infrastructure Programme aimed to draw attention to the transformative potential of digital infrastructure in the region. The event that took place in Parc y Scarlets stadium, Llanelli as well as being live streamed online, brought together industry leaders, policymakers and stakeholders to discuss the advancements in digital connectivity and innovation taking place, along with the challenges and many opportunities that being better connected brings. Attendees were provided with a comprehensive overview of the programme, which is in full delivery across all three workstreams, highlighting its critical role in driving economic growth and social inclusion across the region. Experts delved into topics such as 5G deployment, rural connectivity, and the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, offering valuable insights and practical solutions to further strengthen the region's digital ecosystem. Rhys Jones from Arwain DGC said: 'Being involved in this event has been important for gaining insights into the challenges faced to improve network connectivity across this region. 'Additionally, the golden thread which was voiced by everyone involved, is indicative of the proactive approach that the Digital Infrastructure Programme takes, which is collaboration for success. 'Personally, being able to share and discuss the levels of innovation on Welsh farms, hopefully inspired all the attendees in the room and online.' Prominent figures from the digital and technology sectors shared their visions for the future, emphasising the importance of robust digital infrastructure in fostering innovation and competitiveness. Richard Williams, Head of Acquisitions at Ontix, said: 'We know that digital connectivity has fundamentally changed our world forever but making sure we can maximise its potential in order to improve real people's lives needs creativity, visionary thinking and strong leadership. 'The fantastic work that The Swansea Bay City Deal region is doing to embrace and unlock the opportunities presented by better connectivity for South West Wales demonstrates all of those qualities, and Ontix look forward to continuing to work with colleagues to help deliver better 4G and 5G connectivity across the area.' Cllr, Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council and Chair of the Swansea Bay City Deal Joint Committee, said: 'The resounding success of the event underscores the vital role of digital infrastructure in our future and as a region we are committed to ensuring that everyone benefits from these advancements. 'The digital infrastructure programme is not just about technology – it's about creating opportunities and improving lives. 'The event highlighted the incredible progress we've made so far as well as the continued collaborative work needed to maximise the exciting opportunities ahead.'
Business News Wales
24-04-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
University Sites Connected by Dark Fibre Network
Virgin Media O2 Business has completed building a dark fibre network loop across eight university sites in Swansea, the Swansea Bay City Deal's Digital Infrastructure Programme has announced. Dark fibre networks offer practically limitless capacity and speeds, with the innovative loop configuration ensuring a continuous data flow between educational sites. This will benefit research, teaching and collaboration across the academic landscape. The network, which is only accessible to linked sites, will also provide secure, high-speed, and scalable connectivity, improving the efficiency of internal systems while providing increased capacity to increase to suit the demands of the sector. The network will immediately increase bandwidth to 40Gbps, with the potential for 100Gbps between campuses in the future. This means all Swansea campuses are now connected at exceptionally high speeds that are usually only available at a single campus location, with future proofing for even higher speeds helping create a parity of experience for students across SA1 in both the short and long term. This will enable high-flex teaching, ultra high-quality video streaming and immersive learning environments, while also supporting future research as well as smart campus solutions to enhance efficiency and sustainability. The deployment of this infrastructure means that in the event of network disruption, traffic can be instantly rerouted, maintaining reliable connectivity and ensuring uninterrupted academic activity. James Cale, of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, said: 'This is an exciting phase where we will now start to tangibly see the benefits of a dark fibre network across campuses. The ability to fully exploit technology within a class or research environment offers both academics and students a far wider range of opportunities, whilst making our sites more data secure. This is something that is widely needed to future proof further education in this region.' This project realises the Digital Infrastructure Programme's ambition of ensuring public sector bodies have access to the best possible technological resources. It opens up limitless opportunities for collaboration between institutions and accelerates the pace of technological innovation across public sector services. Cllr Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council and Chair of the Swansea Bay City Deal Joint Committee, said: 'This is a fantastic milestone in the region's plan to adopt emerging technology into our public sector services. Creating more robust ways of collaborating, data sharing and ways of researching is a fundamental aspect of how we build best practices across our education and healthcare sites. This will open up more innovation opportunities in the future.' The new network, which will be fully available by December 2025, will offer significantly improved capacity and speed, and will allow large amounts of data to be securely shared and saved. On completion, the dedicated dark fibre network will connect 36 public sector sites throughout Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, including local authorities, healthcare and education partners.
