Fibre Rollout

Riviere Towans Association were the instigators of the Community Fibre application with Openreach, and we have been working hard to ensure this much needed infrastructure is installed as soon as is possible.  Sadly, due to working restrictions on the site, the original funding vouchers will time out before the works are completed. It has been necessary for Openreach to re submit the vouchers again to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) who in turn resend the vouchers for validation to the property owners. It is imperative that you re validate your voucher when you receive it from the Funding Platform.
We cannot afford to let this opportunity to bring Riviere Towans into the 21st century slip through our fingers.

Openreach chief engineers have advised that they are currently in the build stage of the project, they will start the civil engineering works which could be anywhere on the network from the local area back to the exchange. The first job is to ‘prove’ any underground network i.e. check the underground ducting for blockages caused by wear and tear, or blocked over time with mud and silt. Once they know the underground path is clear they can then begin to install the cable and blow through the fibre optic cable. Once this is complete they will test the fibre network from one end to another to check the community will get the required speeds. They call this ‘light’ testing. Once they get the correct measurements you’ll be glad to know they are almost there and can move onto the final stage of commissioning.

The engineers are working towards an estimated completion date of end of March 2024 please be aware that this is an estimated date and is subject to change.

We will continue to monitor the progress of the project and we will be in touch again in another two months’ time to provide you with a further update.

UPDATE

As the project nears completion with many chalets already connected there are some people who are now asking to be connected.

This is the statement from Openreach.

Dear resident 

The works currently in progress with Openreach on site is reaching the final stage, with completion targeted within the next 4-6 weeks. This update is to provide guidance on what happens next for both residents who pledged a Gigabit voucher (pledgees) and those without a pledge (non-pledgees).

Pledgees

Residents who registered with Openreach and pledged a Gigabit voucher during the fundraising stages of the project will be contacted by Openreach and asked to take up a fibre broadband contract. This is to satisfy the obligation of their pledge and for the voucher funding to be paid on their behalf. Payment of the voucher is not made until this is completed, so residents will be asked to place their orders as quickly as possible. As part of the pledge, Openreach will have completed all required civils work on site so that the final connection can be made at any time without further disruption.

Non-pledgees

Residents/properties who did not register with Openreach will also show as available to order, however further civils/dig work may be required to complete the final connection. Due to the Riviere Towans site policy for such works to be completed during the low season period, i.e. between November and 22nd March, digging will not be permitted until the next low season in November, so residents are asked to wait until closer to that time before placing an order to connect to avoid disappointment.