To coincide with the long awaited arrival of summer on the stunning coast of West Wales, residents and businesses of Newgale and Penycwm in Pembrokeshire are now happily surfing The Net as well as the waves thanks to Welsh Government funding.
Working in conjunction with WISP (Wireless Internet Service Provider) TFL-Groupof Neyland, 1a Aerialshas helped to connect over forty homes and businesses to a high speed wireless broadband service in just over four weeks. The project forms part of the TFL Wireless Broadband Scheme currently underway throughout the county to supply faster internet speeds to rural villages previously in a ‘not-spot’ area.
The broadband infrastructure which relays internet signal wirelessly to pencil-case sized Access Points on subscribing properties has provided significant improvements for local homes and businesses with realistic speeds of up to 10MB, facilitating daily tasks such as online banking, simple business transactions and communication via social media.
Newgale’s M.M. Carter reports immediate improvements from their village base. Internet speed is vital for their online arm of the business to trade with the UK, Ireland and Europe accounting for 50% of turnover and directly supporting 3 jobs. Owner Mark Carter is delighted with the support from the Welsh Government;
“Newgale has suffered from a poor internet connection for years but since our connection to TFL, the results are outstanding. We have gone from less to 0.5MB to 10MB thus improving efficiency and encouraging us to further expand our internet business alongside our traditional hardware and garden machinery shop.”
In addition, beach-side tourism focused businesses such as the The Big Blue Experience,Duke Of Edinburgh Inn, Sands Café and Newsurf will also benefit just in time for the high season, adding free Wi-Fi to their facilities for their regular guests and customers. Oli Tuggey, Owner of The Big Blue Experience describes the positive effect his recent broadband installation has had on his business;
“Trading from Newgale since 2004, our need for a fast and reliable broadband service has become more important as the business has developed. Our previous supplier failed to provide us with a fast enough connection and since the TFL installation we have been very impressed with the service. We regularly upload videos and photos to our website and social media accounts, update our online shop and the live feed webcam of Newgale beach is an essential service for our customers. A huge amount of time and frustration has been saved and the business has become much more efficient thanks to a faster broadband service. We also now offer free Wi-Fi in our new Shop and Booking Office with confidence that it won’t overload the connection.”
“The project is rewarding for all” explains Dave Cooper, Director of 1a Aerials and broadband engineer for TFL. “Seeing residents and small businesses within my local vicinity reap the benefits of their faster internet connection is extremely satisfying. As a sole trader, I know how crucial a reliable broadband connection is to trade in a professional manner as well as to administrate my personal finances. It is a pleasure to be part of the team that flicks the ‘on’ switch for new TFL customers and once the initial feed to a property is live, it’s fairly easy to expand the network for multiple uses to power outbuildings across a yard or at the other end of a field if required.”
The current phase of government funding of up to £1,000 per property is still available until the end of September for Wales’s residents who continue to receive speeds of less than 2MB/second on a regular basis. Contact 1a Aerials on 01437 711142 to understand how you can access faster internet speeds for your Welsh property.