Carmarthenshire County Council and Voneus Partner to Enhance Rural Connect

Carmarthenshire County Council has signed an agreement to allow Voneus, a provider of rural broadband, access to their streetlighting columns. This will enable Voneus to install their gigabit wireless equipment, improving digital connectivity in rural areas.

By leveraging the Council’s streetlighting infrastructure, Voneus will deploy its gigabit wireless technology to bring more homes and businesses in our rural areas, gigabit-capable broadband. This innovative approach allows for greater flexibility and efficiency in delivering high-speed broadband to areas that have traditionally been underserved.

To achieve this Voneus will install radio equipment on street lighting columns which will send the signal from column to column meaning long distances can be travelled into more rural areas.

Unlike full fibre network deployment, which can require extensive physical digging, trenching, and cabling, the new wireless infrastructure can be built and installed with greater speed and less disruption to the local community.

Voneus will be offering their standard Gigabit capable packages, which are the same as their Fibre portfolio, offering high speed and bandwidth to customers.

The build in Carmarthenshire will commence in the St Clears and Meidrim areas, bringing immediate benefits to these communities.

Ilan Scorah, Director of Strategy and Planning at Voneus said, “Our partnership with Carmarthenshire County Council is another significant milestone for Voneus helping broadband connectivity in rural Carmarthenshire, where connectivity has often been a challenge. Strengthening our partnerships with local authorities helps lead the way for better digital access which we know can make a substantial difference in fostering economic growth, enhancing educational opportunities, and improving overall quality of life.”

Gigabit wireless is quicker to deploy and can reach areas where fibre installation is not commercially feasible. This partnership with Voneus introduces a new solution for rural residents, providing them with access to ultrafast speeds that were previously difficult to provide.

Cllr. Hazel Evans from Carmarthenshire County Council said, “I am thrilled to have this new agreement with Voneus in place. It’s a positive step towards bridging the digital divide in the harder to reach rural areas of the county. Building working relationships to better the services of residents and businesses in Carmarthenshire is integral to the region and I hope that we can continue to collaborate with providers to improve broadband connectivity in our rural communities.”

Funded by Swansea Bay City Deal’s Digital Infrastructure Programme, the Digital Champions from Carmarthenshire County Council, continue to promote the ethos of ‘connectivity through collaboration’ with its latest partnership with Voneus. By enhancing broadband access and promoting digital inclusion, this new approach will accelerate the aspirations aimed to benefit the whole community:

• Better broadband for everyone... leaving nobody behind

• A smart region, ready and able to innovate and adopt emerging technology

• An inclusive digital landscape that meets everyone’s needs