We are fast approaching a complete local solution for high speed broadband.  On Tuesday BT will present in Russell’s Water village hall on the extent and timing of their plans for super fast broadband down the phone line.  It’s a 1930 start – all welcome, presentation and questions, I shall chair it with Peter. Their work is primarily subsidised by Oxfordshire County Council.  BT are contracted to reach 70% of local homes. On Tuesday we hope to hear more on which homes precisely and when.  We can now see plans for BT green cabinets in Stonor (x2), Maidensgrove (see second half of document at link), Lower Greenfield, Greenfield Farm, Christmas Common, Swyncombe, Pyrton, Howe Road and Park Corner.  Broadly speaking customers should start being connected this Autumn, continuing to the end of 2017.

BT declaring the 70% that they will connect using subsidy creates the space for Village Networks to target the remaining 30% using radio technology at 20-30 Mb/s.  Thanks to local people we have now found a source of high speed connection to the internet (backhaul) at Stonor Park by reactivating an optical fibre and have another option for backhaul from Thame.  Thames Valley Police have now agreed in principle for Village Networks to use their masts on Britwell Hill as a distribution point. Broadly speaking if you are more than one kilometre from a cabinet the Village Networks solution should work better for you, because it uses radio not copper lines. You can have a phone on the Village Networks system using Vonage.  The service should start in the last quarter of 2016.  The Village Networks solution, subject to some testing should serve our communities that are over the border in Bucks at North End and Turville Heath.  Village Networks will not get a BDUK state subsidy and we hope to raise money for this locally.  We anticipate that the amount required will be about £25,000.

After Tuesday’s meeting we’ll do some sort of write-up for this website and I shall write further articles here with more detail.  Village Networks will do some planning with the new BT information and firm up their proposal.  VN will be at the Tuesday meeting in listening mode if you want to talk with them.

We remain grateful to the many people putting so much effort into bringing broadband to our communities, not least our elected representatives and their officials and police officers and staff.