Broadband and mobile coverage in "hard-to-reach" places

jester3963

We live in Somerset not far from Taunton. We only just get EE mobile, very hard it drops all the time. No other signal works here. Internet is only 1/2mb and we are running a business which relies on the Internet.

aughtonb4rn

Hi
There's a movement in rural North Devon and Somerset to bring officialdom to account with regard to broadband. All you need to know about this can be found on B4RDS (Broadband for Rural Devon and Somerset) which is their Facebook page.

Lpg

I live in North Norfolk my Mobile network 3 shows no concetion around my house or garden, I have to go onto the beach to get a signal, broadband is around 1.5meg if I am lucky.

My concern is what will it cost me to have a better service?
Being a pensioner I cannot afford 30/40+ per month extra for fibre optic.

I tried to sign up to the offer in last weeks email for broadband & phone from SSE.

When I phone up I was told I could not have it as the speed form my area was under 1meg.

timt

I live in Nether Wallop, Hampshire.
We can get a 3G data signal with EE, but none of the other networks have either voice or data coverage.
Broadband is generally a bit over 1Mb/s. BT OpenZone are currently in the area running in fibre, but it looks as though it won't be coming to where we are - though the Hampshire broadband web site isn't clear on this, and you e-mail the contacts listed there and don't get a response - I'm sure if we were to be getting it they would have replied!

aughtonb4rn

Join the grassroots pressure group trying to get better broadband for your area! B4RDS (Broadband for Rural Devon and Somerset) has a Facebook page where you can find out what's happening.

KarinHerts

Moved from Hertfordshire to live in a village in Teesdale - DL2 area and lucky to get 2 mb of broadband. I thought we were being upgraded to fibre optic but not sure if this is now going ahead. Cannot use Virgin Media as they are not in the area. Mobile signal drops to emergency when least expected. It makes me wonder just were our money is being spent? Probably in key urban areas........ where they gain a better return and sod the rest.

kaom

I'm in Harpenden which generally has great broadband across the town - except for my road! I think it's a little too far from the exchange and it's a private road so it's kind of stale mate!

I read about this company: https://www1.relish.net/athome - they offer unlimited data via 4g at home (using wifi) for £20 a month! incredible! But...they're only available in very (very) limited postcodes in London.

I've asked them when they're expanding but they can't answer.

They have the solution for many people at a brilliant price point so it's frustrating that they haven't rolled out across the UK.

aughtonb4rn

There isn't any way everyone's broadband needs will be met except by a national fibre network. Abandon the Victorian copper telephone system completely and replace it with fibre technology for the 21st century. At the moment the country is subsidising BT to tack on a bit of fibre to the copper network to allow some people to go a bit faster. £1.2b has been spent on this so far, and now there are promises of 'other technologies', to deliver to the hard to reach areas. And since when is the middle of Birmingham hard to reach? Nothing can or will match fibre in fitness for purpose- the new technologies such as G-fast are sticking plasters only. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get copper to behave like glass fibre!
Here in Lancashire we have the fastest network in the country. It is ALL FIBRE. And it costs £30/ month with no line rental to BT as we don't need their copper lines.

Shubunkin

We live in a village in Nottinghamshire, Orange is the only mobile provider that works in the village but only outside in the garden. We can send texts even from inside the house.

Silver-Wolf

EE 'Black Hole' in West Suffolk.

My phone signal from EE varies from none to 1 bar and very rarely 2 bars offering me 2G only in the centre of Clare - other networks are only slightly better. Surely a local booster and/or allowing network roaming in rural areas could resolve this type of difficulty at relatively low cost and it is technically possible despite what the networks say.