It has been a long time coming …. and now I am pleased to say that superfast broadband has now reached parts of Highfields Caldecote where it previously seemed to have missed or been witheld! BT eventually got its act together following the visit to Caldecote by Mr Mike Galvin, Managing Director Network Investment, BT Openreach which
took place in November 2013. Mr Galvin’s visit enabled him to ascertain for himself the extent of the installation and what works still needed to be done and assure us that the works will be completed and the prize delivered as promised. When I think of some of the things I had to do to get BT to listen and get back to fulfilling its promise, this visit was a doddle.
Those who were in the village in 2010 would know that January 2014 was the third anniversary for the winners of the Race To Infinity-which includes Madingley Exchange that serves Caldecote. As of the end of January 2014, three years down the line, BT had still not completed the installation as only about 35% of Caldecote was covered and able to order, and these being mostly on the Strympole Way and Claire Drive estates. The older parts of the village such as West Drive, Highfields Road and East Drive areas were still waiting to be connected using the “aerial solution” that BT claimed was holding things up.
But now the Hallelujah chorus is ringing out, as the BT Openreach Project Manager confirmed that all of the installation for Madingley Exchange has now been completed and delivered. This means that every property served by the exchange should be able to order the service. This means that the MadingleyX Team can now celebrate, something we have been waiting a long time to do. I am proud to have led the team, but as I’ve said all along it was a massive team effort and thank you to everyone who helped.
However, there still seems to be misinformation going on in the BT family, as some residents are still being told by BT Retail that superfast broadband is not yet available for them to order. Well, this is not the case and it seems to be that as usual, the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing. Superfast broadband is now available in all of Highfields Caldecote, and everyone should be able to order.
There are still some system glitches for individual properties which prevent them for ordering the service, but these can be resolved if reported. Therefore, anyone who wants to order but is being told it is unavailable should please contact me on my usual email address.
BT seems to be the only company currently able to provide superfast broadband in Caldecote because we have FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) and other providers have not yet geared up for it. So be prepared to change providers if you are not currently with BT.
I have already seen the difference it makes in our household, and for me the only limiting factor is my aging laptop and its processor speed. Downloads are lightning fast when there’s 188Mbps superhighway available to surf on!
I wish you all great enjoyment and increased productivity as you surf the web on superfast fibre broadband.
