Housing developers ‘taking inconsistent approach to broadband’
Housing developers ‘taking inconsistent approach to broadband’
Site Connect Housing developers ‘taking inconsistent approach to broadband’
There is a lack of consistency in the way housing developers approach broadband Connectivity in new builds.
UK Connect (Formerly known as Countrywide Telecoms) has looked into the issue and found that housing developers are taking an inconsistent approach to broadband connectivity. UK Connect found that out of four major developers – Barratt, Miller, Taylor Wimpey and Redrow Homes, only the latter could confirm that broadband connections are laid in all the new homes it constructs.
A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey told UK Connect:
“If a cable provider is running cables to our development, then we will take the cables into our homes – however, we don’t install cable ducting as a rule where there is no cable provider.”
The Home Bu
ilders Federation, of which all four of the providers analysed by Cable are members, said it is the responsibility of the broadband supplier to make sure new homes have access to a good level of connectivity.
Dave Mitchell, technical director at the organisation, stated:
“There is no requirement to put broadband in but we do it. It’s BT that is not connecting the lines.”
The Reports
There have been a number of reports concerning new housing developments that have been left with slow and unreliable broadband in recent months and internet access is becoming increasingly important to the housing market as a whole.
For example, last month saw Alexander Gosling – managing director of online estate agency housesimple – say slow broadband can take as much as a quarter off the value of a home.
He told the Express most people now “couldn’t survive without a fast broadband connection at home”.
The last few months have also seen research released from Imperial College Business School and the London School of Economics and Political Science. It found that for every time the average connection speed at a property is doubled, its value was increased by three per cent.
People from London were found to be the most willing to pay more for faster broadband.
The issue does not just lie with the homes being built, but also the site office and show homes that can often suffer with the sames issues.
However Countrywide Telecoms has developed a service it called Site Connect witch is tackling the issue by providing rapid site broadband in under 10 days to any site in the UK.
Developers such as Barratt Homes, Linden Homes and many more have already started to use the Site Connect Solution and have seen fantastic results.
UK Connect said of the operation with Barratt Homes:
Barratt sought our help when the phone lines they had ordered months ago for a new site in Storrington had still not been installed. The launch was only five days away!
In less than two days, our engineers installed broadband for five PCs and set up two phone lines with local numbers. As a result, the sales staff could start selling homes immediately and customers were unaware of any difficulties.
Lynnette St Quintin, Sales Marketing and Customer Services Director, Barratt Homes Southern Counties added:
“Our Milford Grange site, in Storrington, is in a rural location and we were having real difficulties in getting phone lines and broadband installed. After a long delay, a major telecoms company told us that we’d have to wait at least another three months, so it wouldn’t be ready in time for the launch. UK Connect set up communications in the marketing suite in less than 48 hours. I can’t rate the company highly enough.”
For further information about how Site Connect can get your construction site online in rapid time see the page for our construction site broadband solution.
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