Broadband engineers in Southport have had their work stalled by residents. Police were called after people within the neighbourhood tried to stop the work from commencing. Openreach was trying to install some new internet connectivity poles, which are set to be 9m high. They have said that if the scheme was stopped, thousands of residents would miss out on fast internet and that they have the full approval of the council to move forward.
Residents Agree it Would Benefit the Community
People from Griffiths Drive, Wennington Road and Chester Avenue have all agreed that faster broadband would benefit the community. With Southport losing many entertainment establishments over the years, including a casino, faster internet would allow people to access the entertainment they want, on demand.
Although residents can already play a range of online casino games, including Adventures Beyond Wonderland and Bingo, a more stable internet connection would allow people to game on the go with more convenience. It would also help to keep game animations smooth when online, bettering the experience for everyone. It wouldn’t just benefit gaming either. Faster internet in the area would also benefit those who stream content on sites like Netflix. With new 4K content being released all the time, it’s now more important than ever to make sure that you have the bandwidth and internet speeds to keep up.
For some residents of Southport, this is not currently the case. Even so, some are concerned that the poles are going to be an eyesore for the community and that it is going to cause problems for households. This is not the case, and Openreach has since released a statement saying that they are pushing ahead with aerial fibre optic cabling.
Underground Cables Are Not an Option
Openreach has stated that they have to retire the copper network, and underground cables are not an option. It would be too expensive and it would also be very disruptive. Southport as a whole doesn’t have as much coverage as other pasts in the UK.
The existing copper networks are also unreliable and do not provide the browsing experience that residents are looking for. The copper cables that are currently installed are making it hard for residents to get consistent speeds and they are also providing a field of interference. The main reason for this is that data that is transmitted through copper cables is vulnerable to radio signals. It can also be affected by adjacent cables. This can have an impact on both signal strength and speed, so steps must be taken to try and resolve this issue as soon as possible. If steps are not taken now then this will make it very difficult for residents to conduct business, and it also affects those who work from home.
Openreach is taking steps now to make sure that everyone can benefit from the new installations, and work is going to continue as planned. The slight disruption doesn’t seem to have derailed the work being done, which is good news for residents who welcome the new upgraded cables.