Faster internet services are coming to Braintree District

Full fibre broadband explained
Full fibre rollout is bringing faster broadband to homes and businesses in Braintree District

Residents and businesses are continuing to benefit from faster internet speeds thanks to Essex County Council’s broadband improvement programme, Superfast Essex. 

We are working with Essex County Council to roll out ultrafast broadband which gives download speeds of up to 1Gbps through fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology.

Full fibre broadband, as it is also known, is already available to more than a quarter of premises across Braintree District, as a result of work by the Superfast Essex programme and commercial (non-state funded) rollouts. This is set to rise, in line with the government’s ambition for gigabit-capable broadband to be available nationwide by 2030.

Superfast broadband speeds of at least 30Mbps are already available to 95.7% of properties in the district.

To see if they can access full fibre broadband, residents can visit Superfast Essex’s interactive map, which will tell them the broadband status at their home. If they can already access a full fibre service, they should contact their internet service provider as they may need to upgrade their contract to access faster, gigabit-capable speeds.

The council is also supporting Essex County Council’s Be 5G Smart campaign which seeks to raise awareness of fifth generation mobile internet and the far-reaching benefits of this technology, while also dispelling some of the myths around this.

Not only will 5G allow people in Essex to use technology on the go like never before – it will also revolutionise the way emergency services work, as well as help in the fight against climate change.

The 5G upgrade is being rolled out commercially with no public investment at this time, but Essex County Council is engaging with the mobile network operators to understand what can be done to support the deployment of 5G, particularly in rural areas.

Cllr Lesley Wagland, Cabinet Member for Economic Renewal, Infrastructure and Planning at Essex County Council, said: “We’re delighted to be rolling out full fibre broadband across the district, as part of our Superfast Essex programme.

“We know how beneficial digital connections are to our residents and businesses and we will continue to focus on improving these, particularly in rural areas of Braintree District, to make Essex an even better place to live and work.

“We are also actively engaging with the mobile network operators who are rolling out 5G in Essex, as we want our county to be better connected as soon as possible.”

Cllr Tom Cunningham, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth at Braintree District Council, said: “As the full fibre rollout continues and more properties are connected, we would urge residents and businesses to contact their providers to discuss opportunities to upgrade their connection.

“Residents could improve their internet speeds, improving their work from home experience, for instance by making video conferencing more stable, and reducing the need to travel to an office location.”

He continued: “We are delighted to support the new Superfast Essex 5G campaign as we believe it can bring huge benefits to communities.

“We need to show there is demand for this technology locally to ensure companies look to Braintree District when they are extending their networks.”

Published: 22nd March 2022