Better Broadband

Update mid December 2014

Superfast Broadband - delivered through fibre optic cable - may NOW be available to your home in East Winch.

Check here to see if your address is covered - you will require your Post Code to make the check. If it is indicated that are likely to be able to receive superfast broadband you may also then confirm the availability & find out about speeds.

Speed will vary across the village. depending on your distance from the cabinet near the church. To change your service to fibre you will need to arrange it with your Broadband supplier.

Note that you do not have to be a BT customer, as some people seem to believe, to have fibre installed.

Look at your ISP's website or talk to them to check what they can deliver and at what price - or change provider if necessary of course. Be aware of any penalties if you wish to cancel an existing contract.


If you do decide to upgrade your service you will require a visit from an engineer to install a new wall socket and a hub. (Note: the engineer visit may no longer be required; you are now expected to 'self-install' the kit).

A new router will / may also be required (possibly to be supplied by your ISP).


Update: 25 September 2014.

BETTER BROADBAND - ON THE HORIZON

The BBfN (Better Broadband for Norfolk) website indicates that better Broadband is coming to the Middleton exchange and will bring better service to parts of

Blackborough, East Winch, Middleton and West Winch

and that services should be available by the end of December 2014.

(UPDATE 12/11/2014: - The BBfN website now says that "Services are now delivered to parts of Middleton and North Runcton")

See the large green cabinet standing on the corner of Church Lane and the A47 as evidence of progress.

How fast your broadband connection will be depends on how far your home or business is from the cabinet. Generally speaking, premises within a 1 kilometre radius of the new cabinet can expect to be able to access speeds in excess of 25Mbps. Premises around 1.5km from the cabinet should be able to receive broadband speeds of around 12Mbps. For customers greater than 2km from the cabinet, broadband speeds could fall to less than 2Mbps.

Note that you will have to talk to your broadband supplier to take advantage of the upgraded service when it becomes available - it will not 'just happen' to your connection. You should expect that high speed broadband via fibre cable will cost more than the 'old' system. How much extra will depend on what your ISP is offering.

See the BBfNwebsite here

Where & When ?

To find out the type of broadband services available to you now, at your home or business premises, please click on the Ofcom (Office of Communications) website link below. This will give you access to Ofcom accredited broadband service package comparison websites: Ofcom website

For advice on improving your broadband speed, and a check on your current speeds,

look here

_____________________

THE COUNTY COUNCIL HAS SECURED £15,000,000 OF GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF BROADBAND SERVICES IN THE COUNTY.

Following the 'say YES' campaign (see below) the Council has now now appointed BT as a partner for the improvement of broadband services. By June 2015 it is expected that 83% of Norfolk homes will be able to access superfast broadband - 24 Mbps or more. Every home should be able to achieve a minimum of

2 Mbps, with many able to reach speeds significantly higher than the minimum. It is expected that a number of Service Providers will then compete for your business.

(November 2012 update)

Say YES!

to better broadband in Norfolk.

Is your broadband slow compared with others that you know of. I know that my broadband here at East Winch runs at no more than 2Mb/s, whereas my son living in King's Lynn manages, consistently to get about four times that speed. I believe also that there may be other parts of the village which don't even manage to get 2Mb/s.

A significant financial contribution, to install the infrastructure required to improve broadband speeds and access across Norfolk, has been made available by the Government.

The County Council needs now to attract bids from telecom providers to install the equipment necessary to improve the service. However, both individuals and businesses now need to register an interest to show that there is indeed a demand for an improved service.

You may now 'Register your interest' online - go to Better Broadband to complete an online form.

You will be asked to include your name and address and a few details about how much you pay for your broadband now and how much you would be willing to pay for an improved service. Some details are asked about what you use your broadband for. It's not too intrusive.

Note that there is a box to tick if you do not want Norfolk County Council to pass your details on to others - look for the box and make sure that you 'tick' it before submitting your form.

NOTE THAT YOU ARE NOT COMMITTING YOURSELF IN ANY WAY BY DOING THIS

YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO SUBSCRIBE TO ANY SERVICES THAT MAY BE LAUNCHED AS A RESULT OF REGISTERING YOUR INTEREST

You may also register by telephone - call 0344 800 8023 - or complete the form that you may have recently received. If you prefer to do it by post, and don't have a form, call in at the Post Office and collect one.

PLEASE DO IT NOW! -TO HELP TO ENSURE IMPROVEMENT OF THE SERVICE

For something lighter to amuse you perhaps.....

Archaeology and Broadband.

After having dug to a depth of 10 feet last year, French scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 200 years; they came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 150 years ago.

Not to be outdone by the French, in the weeks that followed, American archaeologists dug to a depth of 20 feet before finding traces of copper wire. Shortly afterwards, they published an article in the New York Times saying : "American archaeologists, having found traces of 250-year-old copper wire, have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network 50 years earlier than the French.

A few weeks later, 'The British Archaeological Society of Northern England' reported the following: "After digging down to a depth of 33 feet, in the Skipton area of North Yorkshire, in 2011, Charlie Hardcastle, a self-taught amateur archaeologist, reported that he had found 'absolutely nothing'.

Charlie has therefore concluded that 250 years ago, Britain had already gone 'wireless'.

Boom, Boom !!