Not covered by Superfast Broadband?

If your premises cannot currently connect to superfast broadband, there are a number of options that you could consider. Whilst each has its own pros and cons, these broadband alternatives could help provide significant improvements in speeds for people on slow and possibly unreliable broadband.

Alternative Solutions

Privately Funded Fibre Solutions for Communities

Openreach’s Fibre Community Partnership will enable properties to fund a future-proofed full fibre ultrafast broadband solution. The team at Openreach will provide you with a quote for a full fibre solution, also known as Fibre to the Premises (FTTP). You will then be able to order a service appropriate for you from a range of providers listed here. This solution is targeted at clusters of properties, ideally of more than 10.

An individual property may be able to order a Fibre on Demand service – please see our Question on Fibre on Demand.

Wildanet, are an alternative network (altnet) provider in Cornwall, and are building full fibre networks across many parts of Cornwall. You can contact them to ask for a quote for a full fibre solution across your community.

Wireless
A wireless network is capable of providing superfast broadband speeds to many properties, particularly those in rural areas which have poor broadband speeds over the long phone lines. Wireless services often provide uncapped monthly data allowances and will usually be much easier to install than upgrading the wired broadband network. The wireless footprint is expanding in Cornwall, so please contact one of the wireless providers if interested.

Wildanet have a wireless network that provides coverage to many rural premises across Cornwall, and Cornwall Broadband have a network that provides coverage to rural premises in north and east Cornwall.

Another option, in some cases, is to access a superfast solution to another nearby property near you. You could then use a wireless link to transmit the signal to the location you need it.

Mobile Broadband
Cornwall has seen recent improvements in mobile coverage, particularly 4G, which is capable of providing superfast broadband services to many locations beyond the superfast fibre footprint. You can check the current availability of 4G broadband services using the Ofcom mobile coverage checker.

Some people use a more sensitive internal device that will pick up a weaker signal if placed in a window. This can give a faster and more reliable service than using your phone or a small dongle. Others have installed even more sensitive external antenna, which may give better speeds. Note that mobile networks can slow down considerably at busy times, especially in tourist season.

Starlink Satellite
This is the new satellite solution that uses “Low Earth Orbit” satellites and so overcomes the latency (delay) experienced when using a traditional satellite service. Speeds are typically very good (150+Mbps download) and there is no download limit, but monthly costs are higher than other services – although recently reduced to £75pm. Visit www.starlink.com to find out more.

Satellite Broadband
The more established satellite broadband services are available virtually anywhere, and can now provide superfast download speeds of up to 40Mbps. Satellite has an inherent delay due to the distances involved, but you should get used to this when using applications like Skype and general web surfing. These services usually have a monthly download limit.

You should seek professional advice (e.g. from your IT provider) to check that all the services you plan to use are compatible with a satellite or mobile connection and whether any reconfiguration is required for things like your network, router and email set-up. Carefully consider your expected use before signing a contract for a satellite or mobile service.

Broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO)

The broadband universal service obligation (USO) gives people in the UK the right to request a decent and affordable broadband connection of at least 10Mbps download and 1Mbps upload. Under the USO, eligible homes and businesses will be able to request a connection, where the cost of building it is no more than £3,400. The supplier for USO connections is BT, and a connection can be requested at https://www.bt.com/broadband/USO. If the checker incorrectly says you can already receive a 10Mbps service, use the 0800 number to explain this is incorrect.

The USO connection can be delivered over mobile (4G) or fibre, this is BT’s decision. A fibre solution may well not be covered by the £3,400 limit.