Residents of Coleorton Hall become the 50th community fibre partnership to connect to the fibre network
A small group of residents in the Leicestershire village of Coleorton have joined forces with Openreach, to make high-speed fibre broadband available in their village.
Residents of Coleorton Hall, a grade II listed building converted into apartments, approached Openreach and agreed to work together to jointly fund the installation of a new fibre cabinet and underground cables.
The agreement represents a major milestone nationwide, as Coleorton becomes the 50th community in the UK to be connected to the fibre network after taking positive community action and working directly with Openreach.
Across the country, there are dozens more similar contracts in progress and will see fibre rolled out to even more homes and businesses.
David Baston, one of the Coleorton Hall residents that raised funding, said: “Broadband speeds are more important now than ever before and particularly so in a rural area such as ours. We approached Openreach directly and are delighted with the end result".
Around 120 homes and businesses across the wider village can also sign-up to fibre broadband thanks to the newly installed network.
A new fibre cabinet was installed just outside the entrance to the Hall, as previously each property at the Hall was connected by ‘exchange only’ telephone lines. Speeds of up to 80 Megabits per second (Mbps) are now available compared to original speeds of around 1-2Mbps.
Kim Mears, managing director, Infrastructure Delivery said: “We’re committed to working with communities like Coleorton to help them achieve their goal of a fast fibre connection. Rural areas often present the most difficult and complex challenges but working together gives us the best chance possible of finding a suitable and affordable way forward. We have a dedicated team focussed on helping people understand what can be achieved in parts of the UK not already covered by existing rollout plans.”
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