{"id":1150,"date":"2026-08-15T11:19:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T11:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chirurgean.net\/?page_id=1150"},"modified":"2026-08-15T11:19:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T11:19:14","slug":"the-struggle-for-broadband-in-gayles","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chirurgean.net\/?page_id=1150","title":{"rendered":"The struggle for broadband in Gayles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5G Broadband<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This may be coming by \u2026 (please do not hold your breath)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">27\/02\/2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Update \u2013 no new updates!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Update to Broadband info<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">28\/04\/2022<br>There is a scheme for rural areas&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.increasebroadbandspeed.co.uk\/guide-for-rural-communities-fttp\">increase broadband speed<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This village qualifies for the scheme&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk\/\">check voucher validity<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If enough of the residents apply, then fibre will be delivered to the village!<br>Check on the links and watch this space<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">01\/04\/2022<br>Further information: telecon with Openreach rep this afternoon. Follow up email reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thanks for taking my call today, I really appreciate your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I just wanted to drop you a quick email to summarise our call and confirm what\u2019s happened. I would like to just start out by again offering my sincere apologies for the trouble you have gone through in trying to gain access to the fibre network, I can appreciate how frustrating the current speeds must be for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I know we touched on how neighbouring properties now have access to FTTP during our call but I thought I\u2019d touch on this over email also. BDUK is a government funded project \u2013 so to be clear, all decisions concerning how much budget is available and which properties are covered in the plan are made by the BDUK project team (Openreach of course provide information to them on what can be covered for the money available but it\u2019s the project team that has the final say). Therefore any questions you have around these matters would need to be directed towards the project team..<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What I can say however, is that all roll-outs, be that commercial or government funded have one thing in common, they want to cover as many properties as possible with the funds available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In rural areas such as yours, this can prove challenging as more work is usually needed around supplying the relevant infrastructure therefore pushing up the costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One key point is that there is no guarantee that all properties in an area will be covered by the roll-out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve discussed this with the project manager of your area and unfortunately there are no current or future plans to bring FTTP to your property at this time. This doesn\u2019t mean there won\u2019t be any though, our plans are changing and covering more areas all the time. So my advice would be to stay close to our website for any updates. The link is here&nbsp;https:\/\/www.openreach.com\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We are always exploring plans to deliver fibre to as many areas as we can and you may be interested to know that we are accelerating the roll out of ultrafast fibre broadband through our \u2018Fibre First\u2019 initiative. This plan aims to deliver full fibre service across the UK and we aim to get FTTP service to (if the conditions are right) reach 26 million homes by the mid to late 2020\u2019s and this will continue to be updated via our website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I hope this covers everything and again, I\u2019m sorry I didn\u2019t have an immediate solution to help resolve your query but plans can and do often change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As discussed I will now close this case, but please feel free to let me know if there is anything else I can help with in relation to this fibre availability query, of course I\u2019ll be happy to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kind regards,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Richard<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Richard Powley<br>Infrastructure Solutions Executive Level Complaints Team<br>Openreach<br>Telephone: 02071059537<br>Web:&nbsp;openreach.co.uk<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next step appears to be to contact NY council. It is in a state of flux just now, but perhaps now is an apposite moment. Elections are due in May 2022 so time to contact your local councillor<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">17\/02\/2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The end state of our quest has now been reached. A letter from Rishi Sunak is appended with a copy of the OpenReach letter about ftp to Gayles<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gayles.info\/?attachment_id=1290\">2022-02-17 Broadband<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gayles.info\/?attachment_id=1291\">2022-02-17 Openreach statement FTP<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">tl;dr \u2014 Broadband by fibre will not be coming to Gayles. It may well be that 5G will supplant fibre (especially in rural communities), with long fibre distances between the exchange and houses. The relative lack of obstructions and interference to the 5G signal&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;are also strong indicators that this is the way we will go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So what can you do now:<br>Purchase a 4G modem and get a 4G sim with unlimited data from your mobile provider (check the signal strength before you choose)<br>Rent a dish and modem from Quickline<br>Pay OpenReach a lot of money for a business fibre connection<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">11\/11\/2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The latest rumour from an Open Reach operative is that our fibre will arrive from the Dalton direction. Not a Gandalf instruction to \u201clook to the east in three days\u201d, but do remain optimistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">18\/08\/2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unfortunately, it seems that we have been lied to. The fibre that was \u2018coming soon\u2019 has no implementation date for Gayles \u2013 according to the Openreach website:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>We\u2019re sorry, our fibre products aren\u2019t available for you yet.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>We don\u2019t have plans to upgrade your area yet to our fibre services, but you may still be able to get our Standard copper products \u2013 check with your provider of choice.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>We\u2019re upgrading over 25 million homes and businesses over the next decade to our Ultrafast Full Fibre network, giving speeds of up to 1Gbps.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>We update our build plans every three months, so provide your details and we\u2019ll keep you up to date if anything changes.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>You could consider our Community Fibre Partnership programme if you want fibre sooner. This is a partnership between your community and Openreach.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So why put up telegraph poles, string fibre to them, dig up streets and thread conduit through them?<br>It seems that Openreach has been digging trenches from Richmond to Kirby Hill. Is this fibre on its way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gayles does not seem to be included in the coloured maps \u2013 nor does Dalton or &nbsp;Ravensworth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kirby Hill and Newsham seem to be the closest places on the plans for fibre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">18\/03\/2021<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are signs in the financial sections of the newspapers that indicate a more rapid fibre supply to homes in UK&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/technology-56435371\">https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/technology-56435371<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some may say that the delays were on the part of BT waiting on higher payments for fibre installation \u2013 some may not agree. We wait and hope<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fibre to the premises is coming soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I keep looking up the dictionary definition of \u2018soon\u2019. I suspect that my version is different from Openreach. We know it will come \u2014 after all, the signs are there<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_1103\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gayles.info\/?attachment_id=1103\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/gayles.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/6392E23A-A170-4B2A-BDE0-937C5689D57F-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1103\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The pole is bare \u2014 but for how long?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fiber_to_the_x\">Fibre Broadband<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gayles.info\/?attachment_id=544\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/gayles.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/0A91B7A8-552B-4003-AA01-6D3385DA96DC-590x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-544\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check your postal address on the website &amp; register to get updates<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fibre has arrived<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coming up Middle Street and branching into Watling Close. It\u2019s had a lab test and passed with flying colours. Next will be the master cabinet connection and a connection to each house \u2013 fibre to the premises (FTP). At last the end to broadband failure in heavy rain or snow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_606\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gayles.info\/?attachment_id=606\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/gayles.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_7088-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-606\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This very thin fibre carries enough strands for 35 houses<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">14\/02\/2020<br>OpenReach inspection carried out to determine the best way of taking fibre from the mail pole to your curtilage. (fn) Once that is complete, then you will need to contact your chosen broadband company (Sky, BT, Vodafone etc) to take the connection from the edge of your property into your house and connect it to your supplied modem<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">10\/06\/2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The conduit for the fibre is being laid in Watling Close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_945\"><a href=\"http:\/\/gayles.info\/?attachment_id=945\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/gayles.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Untitled-944x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-945\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Digging up the pavement<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the rest of the houses in the village, it appears that unless there is a conduit under ground, the connection will come in on overhead wires, The Steadings may have underground conduit laid as it was developed after Watling Close \u2013 keep an eye on diggers outside your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The next stage<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OpenReach will set up a distribution cabinet and pass the fibre along the laid conduits or from poles to each curtilage. Then to complete the process, your chosen broadband supplier will take the fibre from the distribution box to inside your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PLANNED ROAD CLOSURE NOTIFICATION \u2013 Gayles<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Closure will be in place for a period of 5 days between 22nd June 2020&nbsp;and 26th June 2020&nbsp;to allow BT to replace 37 existing poles. Please note this forms part of a roling road closure encompassing the following streets: Dalton to Gayles Road, Gayles to Places House, Gayles to Kirby Hill Road and West Street. Only one street will be closed at any given time and the closure will ony be in place between the hours of 09:30 and 15:30<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pole replacement<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 9m pole that was replaced as part of a rolling replacement program a few weeks ago, has just been replaced as part of the fibre broadband program. The pole was not high enough to clear the electricity cables and an 11m pole has taken its place<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_958\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/gayles.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/IMG_7362-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-958\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">9m pole replaced by 11m pole<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">27\/06\/2020<br>The program of pole replacement should have now been completed. Next stage pulling the fibre through to the junction boxes next to your house<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>No, 5G does not cause Covid 19<a href=\"https:\/\/gayles.info\/?page_id=935#note-1-935\">&#x21a9;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/\">Proudly powered by WordPress<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>5G Broadband This may be coming by \u2026 (please do not hold your breath) 27\/02\/2024 Update \u2013 no new updates! Update to Broadband info 28\/04\/2022There is a scheme for rural areas&nbsp;increase broadband speed This village qualifies for the scheme&nbsp;check voucher validity If enough of the residents apply, then fibre will be delivered to the village!Check on the links and watch this space 01\/04\/2022Further information: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1150","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chirurgean.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chirurgean.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chirurgean.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chirurgean.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chirurgean.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1150"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/chirurgean.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1151,"href":"https:\/\/chirurgean.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1150\/revisions\/1151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chirurgean.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}