Newport and Manorbier set for ultrafast broadband

Openreach has identified the two Pembrokeshire locations as being in scope for full fibre broadband upgrades, due take place between 2025 and 2026, making poor internet connectivity a thing of the past. A total of 2,126 premises are currently included in the build plan, 1,162 in Manorbier and 964 in Newport.

Eligible residents have already started to pledge UK Gigabit Vouchers to bring full fibre broadband to their community by applying for and pooling together their free Government UK Gigabit Vouchers to help fund the build. to help fund the build.

The UK government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) can help people in hard-to-reach communities not currently in line for broadband upgrades through commercial or existing government-funded schemes to upgrade their broadband connections.

The broadband upgrades are integral to kickstarting economic growth for local businesses, as well as ensuring that people can access vital services they may need now and in the future. Such as improved access to healthcare through virtual appointments and remote health monitoring, and better connectivity that allows people to stay in touch with family and friends. 

Gigabit broadband delivers faster speeds and is less likely to slow down at peak times, meaning no more battling for bandwidth when trying to surf, stream or work online. If all eligible homes and local businesses pledge the government UK Gigabit Vouchers, this will mean full fibre coverage would increase to 97% in Manorbier and 81% in Newport, drastically improving the broadband service locally.

 So far, the response has been incredibly positive with the current number of pledges towards the funding goal standing at 61% in Manorbier and 64% in Newport.  However, the minimum number of pledges is yet to be reached with 64 fully validated vouchers required in Newport and 99 in Manorbier  for the work to take place.

Residents can check if they qualify and pledge their voucher on the Connect My Community website.

The validated vouchers do not bear any cost to residents and sufficient take up will enable Openreach to work with a local community to build a customised, co-funded network. The vouchers can be combined to extend the ultrafast, ultra-reliable network to premises in outlying rural areas which won’t be covered by private investment.

As part of the funding conditions residents are asked to commit to from an internet service provider or network of their choice for at least 12-months once the new network is available and confirm that they are connected.

The decision on the fibre infrastructure build, the scope of premises covered, and the timeline are all subject to technical surveys, as well as the number of vouchers pledged by the community. 

Martin Williams, Director of Partnerships for Openreach in Wales, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for people living and working in these parts of Pembrokeshire, to bring all the benefits of ultrafast, ultra-reliable Full Fibre broadband to their community.

“Our Fibre Community Partnership programme has meant that we’ve been able to bring thousands of additional properties across Wales and the rest of the UK into our full fibre build plans. But building out the network to these harder to reach locations is still challenging – which is why it’s only possible with everyone working together – you, your neighbours and Openreach.

“Everyone who pledges a voucher will be doing their bit to help make their community one of the best-connected places in the UK.”

“We’re investing £15 billion to build full fibre broadband to 25 million homes – and more than six million of those will be in the toughest third of the UK – but we can’t upgrade the whole country alone. This latest support from government is a vital part of that process.”

Once the pledge target for the scheme is reached, residents need to ensure they then validate their vouchers with the government so that Openreach can confirm that building work can get underway.

Cllr Paul Miller, Pembrokeshire County Council, said: “Many rural areas of Pembrokeshire are still majorly underserved by their broadband connectivity due to them being challenging places to build the necessary infrastructure.  These latest locations are therefore a welcomed step towards levelling up the digital divide between rural and urban areas.  Not only does it bring a higher standard of living for communities, but it also means a more prosperous future economically by being better connected.”

Full fibre networks provide reliable, resilient, and fast connectivity; meaning fewer faults; more predictable, consistent speeds and enough capacity to easily meet growing data demands. It is also future proof, which means it will serve generations to come and will not need to be upgraded for decades.

If you live in Pembrokeshire and have any questions relating to improving your broadband, you can get in touch with your local Digital Champions, who will be able to assist you.

Visit Openreach’s website for more information on Openreach fibre broadband.