Agenda item

(Indicative timing 11.00 – 11.30am)

Members had received a comprehensive Report as part of the Agenda and were therefore invited to ask questions of Openreach Representatives and County Council Officers.  In the ensuing discussion, the following main points were raised:

·         A Member commented that although they were impressed by the superfast broadband coverage within Worcestershire, it was disappointing that mobile phone call coverage was not as good.  In response, it was reported that there was a national drive to improve 4G coverage and public bodies were working together to install additional masts.  However, communities often objected to proposed mast sites and sites were sometimes rejected

·         The Panel noted that 3G was being switched off from 2023, with 2G switch off expected by 2030

·         Looking to the future, the Panel also learned that old copper / analogue networks would be switched off in time, resulting in fibre becoming necessary.  Implications were far reaching and not yet fully understood

·         WiFi calling was a solution, with mobile applications such as WhatsApp.  It was generally agreed that WiFi calling could be promoted more widely as a solution

·         Although the roll out of superfast broadband had been extremely successful, technology had developed throughout the Contract periods.  Focus had shifted to deploying Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) and Gigabit capable infrastructure networks.  FTTP in Worcestershire was around 31.5%, compared to around 43% of the UK.  The County Council’s Corporate Strategy had set a target of Gigabit capability of 95% by the end of 2027, however, it was noted that suppliers would need to work towards the targets also.  The Government ambition was that 85% of the UK would be upgraded to full fibre by 2025

·         Openreach outlined their work in Worcestershire and thanked the County Council and its Officers for their support since 2014, especially reaching the County’s more remote properties and communities.  67,000 premises in the County, and 25m across the UK by December 2026, would be upgraded and 29 exchanges were also in the upgrade plan for Worcestershire.  Openreach had invested their own Capital, reporting that 75% of exchanges were upgraded without public subsidy.  They were building the largest full fibre network across the UK, spending £15 billion to reach 25 million homes and businesses by the end of 2026

·         When asked whether there had been challenges in relation to planning or road closures, it was reported that the scale of activity was second, only to High Speed 2 rail, which was why relationships with Officers was vital in order that solutions could be sought in partnership.  One example given was a possible road closure which would have resulted in a school bus diversion being longer than the permitted time for children travelling

·         It was clarified that Openreach was a Wholesaler.  It would build the network and providers, such as BT or Sky, would then engage with end user contracts

·         Housing Developments over 20 houses would now have full fibre installed free of charge and individual district councils could impose conditions, such as installation of gigabit capable infrastructure

·         A Member suggested that it would be helpful if one approach to installation on footways/highways could be adopted, in response the Senior Project Manager advised that there would be liability issues for companies, as each workforce would not be working to the same specifications

·         In relation to workforce, Openreach employees were given all the tools and training to undertake the tasks required, therefore no prior knowledge was required.  It had the highest number of apprentices in any private sector organisation and it had its own training and development centres.  There had been a reduction in international labour, however, turnover was not high and around 40 applications would be received for every vacancy advertised.  They also had a good track record of recruiting ex Forces personnel and participating in local skills shows/job fairs.  Openreach was committed to using only highly skilled teams (civils gangs), they recognised that complaints would always occur, so quality was key

·         For clarity, Openreach had provided 31% of premises with access to full fibre (FTTP).  It was important to note that residents would then need to enter into a contract for it.  Officers recognised that more could be done to promote the requirement

·         There had been an 80% take up rate for superfast broadband, which was described as 24 to 300 megabits per second

·         A Member highlighted that advertised speeds were confusing, to be informed that several factors could reduce speed, such as use of WiFi compared to a network lead, the number of devices accessing the network at a given time and the activity undertaken, such as internet browsing or streaming videos.