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Virgin to deliver rural broadband via telegraph poles

By Hani Megerisi

Posted on 11 Mar 2010 at 14:29

Virgin will use telegraph poles to bring broadband speeds of up to 50Mbits/sec to rural communities.

In a six-month trial, the poles will be used to serve areas that have previously been out of reach. It will see the village of Woolhampton in Berkshire - which currently receives ADSL through BT copper wire - receive high-speed broadband and TV services from Virgin.

The overground fibre optic cables will deliver the same speeds as underground networks, a spokeswoman for Virgin Media said.

“If you are on a copper network getting speeds of two or three meg on average you notice the difference [on things like iPlayer]," the spokeswoman said.

“The debate about getting ultra-fast broadband to rural communities is growing. Groups like the Countryside Alliance and the Country Land & Business Association are calling for [high-speed broadband] to come to rural areas.”

The spokeswoman added that Virgin had been in contact with the Government over the trials. The Government has put £200m aside to fund projects to meets its universal 2Mbits/sec broadband commitment.

“We are in talks with the Government regularly… [rural broadband] is something they’re calling for and something the Conservative party is calling for.”

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User comments

Maybe the torture is near an end?

The increasing frequency of news stories looking at providing rural broadband does give me some hope. In our village, with a population of over 1000 people, the best we currently can hope for is about a 512Kbit "broadband" connection, very rarely at quiet times of night (3am) we might even reach 1Mbit! How we would all love to get to make proper use of iPlayer and related services. Where do we sign up to get Virgin to roll fibre our way? :)

By skarlock on 11 Mar 2010

Don't hold your breath

"something the Conservative party is calling for" - while in opposition...

Once in power, it'll be expecting private companies to provide the investment

By greemble on 11 Mar 2010

Tory plan

Once in power, it'll be expecting private companies to provide the investment.

Isn't this something that the Tory's wanted? For private investment and to not have the phone tax.

By Greendot on 11 Mar 2010

Will the 1000 people in remote villages pay the market rate for their broadband, including the infrastructure costs, or will the people in urban areas once again end up subsidising them?

By Phoomeister on 12 Mar 2010

Do people in urban areas grow their own food and other services derived from rural communities? The simple fact is we need people to live in both rural and urban areas, so yes rural areas require subsidised infrastructure.

By skarlock on 12 Mar 2010

IT IS NOT JUST RURAL AREAS THAT SUFFER!

Everyone keeps banging on about the rural areas having problems with the internet access but what about those of us in urban areas that are in Not Spots?

I live in a modern built up area of Oxford and after 4 visits from BT and line tests the most we will get is 256KBps. No company is interested in providing Fibre to our area and we get no help from any company as to how to sort it.

IT IS NOT JUST RURAL AREAS and I just despair. At least in the country the companies are trying to help!

By OxfordRob on 12 Mar 2010

I live in a village just outside Oxford, and although the exchange does 2Meg the cost of installing a phone line for something practically the same as my mobile broadband is not worth it.

If fibre was available I would be one of the first to sign.

By Coltch on 12 Mar 2010

Virgin and BT are a joke.

OxfordRob, it is not true that there arn't any companies who want to help, we have worked with 2 communities in Oxford to supply 10 meg broadband, rising to 50 meg when the costs of the backhaul come down. We install a broadband solution to villages right accross the UK, help is out there you just don't hear about it due to companies like BT and Virgin shouting about solutions they have no intention of using.

All of the above is to get a share of the funds set aside by government because they know it will go quick enough, it will not be used on installing broadband.. £200m wouldn't solve the problem of 1.8 million people without a reliable speed in the UK and no private firm is going to install a solution at their own expense just based on the huge costs involved, both the tories and labour are living in a dream world.

If you have problems with lack of broadband, look us up at westcoastbroadband.net

By westcoastbroadband on 8 Apr 2010

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