News: CityFibre gets to work in Wath

Work to upgrade the digital foundations in parts of North Rotherham with fast, reliable and future-proof full fibre network connectivity is now underway after CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform, started construction works in the Swinton area.

CityFibre is investing £31.2m in bringing this new technology to local homes and businesses, providing them with access to a network that has been designed to serve their growing data needs for decades to come.

Locally, the rollout is being completed by Heneghan & Sons who will work closely with CityFibre and Rotherham Council to ensure any disruption is managed safely and efficiently. Typically, teams will only remain in each area for a few days at a time, and residents will be contacted ahead of any work starting.

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Charles Kitchin, CityFibre’s Partnership Manager for Wath upon Dearne, said: “I’m immensely excited and proud to see work getting underway in Wath upon Dearne as it gets ready to thrive in the digital age. It’s important to remember that any short-term disruption will pay off tremendously in the long-term - once the network’s built, it will serve the community’s connectivity needs for years to come.”

Full fibre networks use 100% fibre optics to carry data at light speed all the way from the home to the point of connection. This gives users speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps for upload and download, near limitless bandwidth and reliable connectivity.   

A full fibre connection also goes far beyond simply enabling access to the latest entertainment at lightning speed. Full fibre boosts households and businesses, with experts saying it will drive a range of economic benefits, such as making us more productive and innovative. 

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When the new network goes live in Wath upon Dearne, customers will be able to access full fibre enabled services via a choice of providers, including CityFibre’s UK launch partner, Vodafone, on selected Vodafone Pro Broadband plans, TalkTalk, Zen, and Giganet with other providers expected to join the network soon.  

CityFibre began work in the borough back in 2020 after Rotherham was included in the second phase of rollouts extending CityFibre's Gigabit City programme.

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News: CityFibre highlights broadband boost for borough

A new report commissioned by CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform, has found that Rotherham will reap major economic benefits from the roll out of a faster and more reliable full fibre network.

The study by the consultancy Hatch estimates that, over a fifteen-year period, the positive impacts of CityFibre’s £29m investment in Rotherham will include £284m in productivity and innovation gains, £62m from a widened workforce, £17m in local authority efficiency savings and £145m in increased housing value.

CityFibre confirmed a £29m investment in Rotherham in 2020. Areas on the rollout map include a large area around central Rotherham plus Aston, Catcliffe, Dinnington, Maltby, Thorpe Hesley, Treeton, Wales and Wath upon Dearne.

Network construction is also predicted to create new jobs within CityFibre’s build partners and supply chain, which will also generate a boost in economic value as most will be recruited locally to support the rollout.

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Hybrid and flexible working, supported by full fibre access at home and in the office, is also unlocking access to a larger pool of talent for employers. In Rotherham this widening of the workforce is expected to unleash £62m in benefits while the productivity boost enabled by flexible working is estimated to exceed £16m.

Technological benefits are also a major focus of the report, which demonstrates that CityFibre’s network in Rotherham will help unlock £675m in growth value from 5G services, £259m from the Internet of Things and £119m from Smart City initiatives, like intelligent traffic management systems and street lighting.

The UK, as a whole, stands to benefit from over £38bn in potential economic benefits. Productivity improvements and innovation are responsible for the largest impact, contributing more than £22bn in economic value nationwide. Faster and more reliable digital connectivity boosts business productivity and innovation, increasing turnover and contributing to the formation of new businesses and business models.

Natalie Ward, Area Manager for Rotherham at CityFibre, said: “We are extremely proud of how our full fibre rollout is progressing in Rotherham. Full fibre has far-reaching benefits, encouraging growth while simultaneously providing the platform needed for innovation and investment. The report demonstrates this, as well as the tangible benefits full fibre can bring, and I look forward to witnessing the positive impact on Rotherham’s residents and businesses in the years to come.”

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News: Rotherham town centre Wi-Fi plans reset

Rotherham Council has pulled the plug on a plan to offer free Wi-Fi across the town centre.

Rothbiz reported in 2018 that a scheme was being developed for free Wi-Fi in the main town centre shopping district and public open spaces such as Clifton Park.

The scheme had been designed to include no or minimal upfront or ongoing investment by the authority. A concession contract would see a private company install superfast and ultrafast broadband equipment in exchange for providing the bidder with exclusive use of council-owned street lights and street furniture for wireless communications.

However, a contractor could not be secured.

Since 2018 telecoms giant, BT, has replaced its traditional phone boxes in the town centre with new "InLinks" - fully-accessible community structures that can provide free ultrafast Wi-Fi, free UK landline and mobile calls and free mobile device charging.

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An update to the Council's cabinet last month said that "a contract was tendered in December 2019 and a chosen supplier identified in January 2020. However, by November 2020, the Council had been unable to progress the formal award and enter into contract with the chosen supplier due to changes within the company and a general lack of engagement from them in progressing the contract award. As such the Council took the decision to withdraw the award and abandon the procurement."

Alternative options had been investigated by the Council and a number of discussions had taken place with commercial organisations and telecommunication providers already working with the Council. Since the Council originally agreed to the project, the landscape had changed and other Councils were facing difficulties with similar schemes in that concessionary contracts were not achieving the level of projected income for the chosen supplier to make them viable. This had been attributed to the communications market reducing the cost of personal data and more town centre businesses offering free Wi-Fi to customers.

The Council is now instead going to explore the potential to utilise its own building assets to extend the current corporately managed free public Wi-Fi network to key areas of the public realm within Rotherham town centre.

The council's cabinet has also agreed to the provision of free public Wi-Fi in the new town centre library and markets development.

Cllr. Chris Read, leader of Rotherham Council, said: "It’s a shame, I suppose, that the initial plans four years ago didn’t come through in the way that we had hoped. I think we got to that at the wrong moment in time. We do provide lots of free Wi-Fi, at libraries, the museum, Riverside House, etc, and this seems a practical, logical extension of that."

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News: Rotherham broadband firm crashed with £38m in debts

Investors in a failed Rotherham-based broadband firm were hoping to make a return with a five-year expansion strategy, instead it called in administrators after Origin Broadband burnt through half a million pounds a month.

Rothbiz reported last month that Origin Broadband had become part of TalkTalk following a sale out of administration.

Launching in 2011, Origin developed its own infrastructure and hosted the sixth largest broadband network in the UK. Supplying phone and internet services to businesses and homes across the UK (with around 80,000 customers), it switched between premises in Rotherham town centre and in Manvers.

Gareth Harris and Jamie Miller of RSM Restructuring Advisory were appointed as joint administrators on September 24 2021.

The administrators have recently published an update on their proposals which details how the company struggled with issues with "customer churn, low average revenue per user and bad debts leading to a contraction in customer base."

London-based Faro Capital, a private equity investment company, acquired Origin in 2018 and invested around £25m to date since its original investment, which inlcuded around £4m of legacy liabilities through placing the company through a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA).

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Faro's investment was to used to boost the customer base from 20,000 to 80,000 and fund ongoing losses.

The administrator's report states that management had identified that the company should be at a break even point with a customer base of 85,000 but administrators highlighted that this was unrealistic when putting together information to go out to potential investors.

The report adds that Faro was hoping for investment via debt funds and were optomistic of the five-year expansion strategy based on growing the customer base at material cost to generate a significant return. However administrators said that "they were becoming increasingly concerned about the company's finacial performance (in particular the level of cash consumption)."

Indeed, during the period May to July 2021, the company consumed cash of £500,000 per month from a customer base of 80,000, indicating that the company was much further away from the break even point. Administrators said that this was due to "dissapointing customer retention" which led to spending on replacement customers. Faro then concluded that it could not continue funding the current business and a sale was pursued.

22 bidders looked at buying Origin and eventually three parties competed to secure the assets. A deal was struck for Origin's customers, and around 100 staff, to move over to TalkTalk, the UK's leading value for money consumer and B2B telecoms provider, which is based in Salford.

Faro was the company's secured creditor and were owed some £27m. The sale was agreed for £17.8m and meant that Faro can expect £17.6m as a result.

Vodafone was Origin's biggest unsecured creditor and has been left out of pocket for around £8m.

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News: End of the line for Rotherham broadband firm

Rotherham-based Origin Broadband has become part of TalkTalk following a sale after the telecoms business crashed into administration.

Launching in 2011, Origin developed its own infrastructure and hosted the sixth largest broadband network in the UK. Supplying phone and internet services to businesses and homes across the UK (with around 70,000 customers), it had premises in Rotherham town centre.

Gareth Harris and Jamie Miller of RSM Restructuring Advisory were appointed as joint administrators on September 24 2021.

A deal has been struck for Origin's customers, and around 100 staff, to move over to TalkTalk, the UK's leading value for money consumer and B2B telecoms provider, which is based in Salford.

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Originally based in Doncaster, Origin relocated with much fanfare to Manvers in Rotherham in 2018. Having posted a full year loss to March 31 2018 of £7m, funding of £6.75m was secured from investors during and after the financial year to return the business "to a positive net asset position combined with increased cash funds."

Hit by high costs and bad debts, directors were then forced to secure a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) with its creditors in order to keep trading and the firm moved its address to the Old Town Hall in 2019.

Gareth Harris, RSM restructuring advisory partner and joint administrator, said: "In a very competitive market Origin had built a substantial customer base, which resulted in considerable interest in the business. It is therefore pleasing to announce the sale to a larger competitor ensuring continuity for Origin's customers and staff."

Last year, Origin directors established Consumer Choices Ltd at Manvers - a "comparison partner" for broadband and energy deals in the UK.

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News: First Rotherham residents experience Full Fibre benefits as CityFibre project progresses

Rotherham’s Full Fibre network rollout has reached another milestone, with the first residents now connected.

CityFibre is investing £29m to bring the fastest and most reliable digital connectivity to the town. Construction work began in July 2020 and, once complete, the network will be within reach of almost every home and property in Rotherham.

The network is now completed in parts of Kimberworth, Bradgate and Deepdale, with the first customers now live and able to access gigabit-capable internet services. The first ISP to offer services on Rotherham’s CityFibre network is purebroadband.

Adam Roebuck, the first resident to sign-up for purebroadband’s gigabit-speed broadband, said: “I’ve probably got the fastest broadband in Rotherham and I love it. When I first heard CityFibre were building a new broadband network across the city, I couldn’t wait. I registered my interest on the CityFibre website and even sent a few emails just to ask about when it might be coming.

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“I’m over the moon with the speed and reliability of the service as my previous 4Mbps connection struggled to manage multiple devices, especially at peak times. I went with the 200Mbps upload and download service and even with all nine of my devices connected I have never dropped under 190Mbps!”

Natalie Ward, City Manager at CityFibre, added: “I was so pleased for Adam when I heard he was going to be our first customer in Rotherham. He immediately recognised how transformational a Full Fibre connection can be and so it’s fantastic that he is now reaping the benefits.

“People just can’t believe how much faster it is, both for downloading and uploading, and what they are set to gain from the increased reliability.”

As progress continues, CityFibre is committed to keeping local businesses and residents fully up to date on plans for each community, as well as highlighting the benefits that access to full fibre will bring to all.

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News: Openreach adds Rotherham to Ultrafast Full Fibre Broadband plan

Parts of the Rotherham borough are all set to benefit from Openreach's national upgrade plan, with the majority of premises gaining access to the latest Ultrafast, ultra-reliable Full Fibre broadband.

Adding 551 more towns and cities – covering some 5 million homes and businesses – the move is part of the company's £15 billion programme.

Last year Rothbiz reported that Openreach had confirmed that market towns and villages in Rotherham are in for a full fibre boost - with exchanges in Wickersley and Thurcroft set to be upgraded has part of plans to target the UK's hardest to reach "final third."

Openreach has now updated its FTTP plans for Fibre First Towns, Cities and Boroughs and Market Towns and Villages Build Programme.

Openreach’s updated build plan will be fundamental to the UK Government achieving its target of delivering ‘gigabit capable’ broadband to 85% of UK by 2025 and it follows an extended investment commitment by its parent, BT Group – which means the company will now build Full Fibre technology to a total of 25 million premises, including more than six million in the hardest-to-serve parts of the country by the end of 2026.

The maps show that some areas in the south of the borough, such as Waverley, Treeton and Swallownest, are expected to have a full fibre network built by 2024.

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Central areas including Templeborough, the town centre, Eastwood, Moorgate, Herringthorpe, Brinsworth, Catcliffe and Whiston, are expected to have a full fibre network built by 2025.

Over in the east, areas such as Wickersley, Hellaby and Thurcroft, are expected to have a full fibre network built by 2026.

Areas in Rotherham not yet included in Openreach's plans include Swinton, Rawmarsh, Greasbrough, Kimberworth, Dalton, Thrybergh, Maltby, Aston and Dinnington.

Following a competitive tender process, partners Telent Infrastructure Services and MAP Group Ltd, were chosen by Openreach to support the upgrades and will play a crucial role in building the new network to thousands of premises in these locations.

Robert Thorburn, Openreach’s regional director for the North, said: “Nobody in the UK is building full fibre faster, further or at a higher quality than Openreach. We’re reaching more communities than ever and our team of highly-skilled engineers, alongside our build partners, are working hard to deliver some of the fastest and most reliable broadband available anywhere in the world.

“Just last month we announced dozens of rural and hard to reach locations across Yorkshire and the Humber were to benefit, so it’s great that we’re able to reveal another huge broadband boost for the region with these additional locations."

Ric Welsby, Managing Director of Telent Infrastructure Services, said; “We are very pleased to be supporting Openreach in the build of this ultrafast and ultra-reliable full fibre broadband network. The long-term contracts we have been awarded allow us to recruit the people we need to provide an excellent service to Openreach. We have many exciting roles to fill, I would encourage anyone who is interested in working on this important national infrastructure project to visit our website.”

Sarb Singh, Director of Operations, Map Group (UK) Limited, said: "MAP Group (UK) is delighted to be working alongside Openreach. We share a common goal to build the best possible network with the highest quality of service and connectivity to householders and businesses.

"The upgrade will vastly improve download speeds and the quality of video calls and streaming. We are proud to be associated with what is being seen as significant step on the road back to economic recovery after the Covid lockdown."

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News: Virgin Media launches 5G services in Rotherham

Virgin Media has launched 5G, offering its customers the latest mobile technology, and Rotherham is one of the first places in the UK to get it.

With average speeds of 176.62Mbps, which is around 4.5 times faster than its average 4G speeds, Virgin Media’s 5G service is available to customers on a range of fast and flexible plans, including SIM Only and Pay Monthly, at no extra cost. Virgin Media’s broadband customers will also be able to choose a 5G plan.

Virgin Media has now launched 5G services in 100 towns and cities – with more to follow.

5G is a term used to describe the fifth generation of mobile communications technologies. It is a wireless connectivity solution that will enable thousands of users to get online, all at once, and all benefit from ultrafast speeds. It is the closeness of the transmitters, unlike 4G where they are far apart, that will create an "always on" connectivity.

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Rival operators, EE and O2 switched on 5G in Rotherham last year and Vodafone's 5G service is also available in the borough.

In fact, Virgin Media’s 5G services use the Vodafone network and the recent launch is a major milestone in its partnership with the company which was first announced in 2019.

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Jeff Dodds, Chief Operating Officer at Virgin Media said: “The launch of 5G is a milestone moment for us. As the world’s first virtual mobile operator, our offering has long been about breaking boundaries and offering our customers a premium service without the price tag. That’s why we’re launching fast, reliable 5G connectivity at no extra cost while keeping the added extras of our existing mobile plans in place.

“By offering 5G and gigabit broadband all under one roof, Virgin Media customers can experience next-generation connectivity both in and out of the home, putting them in a great place to take advantage of the latest technology.”

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News: Broadband boost for borough

Two infrastructure firms have confirmed plans to improve fibre broadband in Rotherham, investing millions in the borough.

CityFibre is well underway to build a full fibre network that will reach almost every home and business in the town.

Meanwhile, Openreach has also outlined plans to make ultra-reliable and gigabit-capable full fibre broadband available to homes and businesses in further parts of the borough.

Rothbiz reported in 2019 that Rotherham was included in the second phase of rollouts extending CityFibre's Gigabit City programme.

The leading designer, builder, owner, and operator of fibre optic infrastructure in UK towns and cities provides an alternative to BT Openreach.

CityFibre has now confirmed a contractor for the £29m investment with Heneghan's starting work in the Kimberworth area.

The full fibre network is not yet live, but once activated, services will be available from an increasing range of broadband providers. Across the UK, CityFibre is already working with launch partner, Vodafone to deliver next generation broadband services, and TalkTalk is expected to join the network soon.

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Cllr. Chris Read, leader of Rotherham Council, said: "The CityFibre investment in Rotherham is a huge boost that supports our ambitions to develop a competitive and sustainable economy that builds on our strengths in advance manufacturing and innovation.

"Rotherham has so much going for it as a business location and having the full fibre network makes it the ideal place for any company to grow or locate. Having a full fibre gigabit capable infrastructure will meet the ever increasing digital demands of those living and working in Rotherham now and in the future."

Natalie Ward, city manager for Rotherham at CityFibre, added: "This is such an exciting time for people across Rotherham as work is now underway to build the Full Fibre broadband network which will digitally transform the town. Not only will this bring lightning fast speeds to both households and businesses, it will open up much deeper benefits such as enabling smart home technologies and giving people the freedom to work from home with ease.

"Our £29m investment also supports the innovative business community that helps drive the Rotherham economy. Through the adoption of next generation Full Fibre connectivity, more innovation and productivity will be driven, ultimately giving businesses the platform they need to realise their growth ambitions. Creating a level playing field for local businesses is vital as they seek to compete and sell internationally."

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Targeting 3.2 million premises in the UK's hardest to reach "final third," Openreach has confirmed that market towns and villages are in for a full fibre boost - with exchanges in Wickersley and Thurcroft set to be upgraded.

Robert Thorburn, partnership director in the North of England at Openreach, said: "I'd encourage everyone to check if they can switch to the new technology, and if you can, get in touch with your broadband provider to find out more about the many benefits. "Full fibre" is more reliable and more resilient meaning fewer faults and more predictable, consistent speeds. It is also "future-proof" to easily meet the growing data demands of future technologies."

Last year, Superfast South Yorkshire (SFSY) completed a £27m contract to deliver faster broadband to residents and businesses across South Yorkshire.

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News: Rotherham broadband provider launching Origin TV

A shared vision has seen Origin Broadband and Netgem join forces to offer Origin TV, a new multiscreen service.

The new product is designed to complement Origin Broadband's "customer first" model – offering a superb entertainment experience at a great price and as a genuine alternative to the traditional expensive broadband TV offerings.

Launching in 2011, Origin has developed its own infrastructure and now host the sixth largest broadband network in the UK. Supplying phone and internet services to businesses and homes across the UK, it is based in Rotherham town centre.

Origin TV combines a wealth of free live and On-demand content from public broadcasters, YouTube and YouTube Kids, genre based "go to" channels, along with premium sport content through Premier Sports, with access to Spanish and Italian top football matches exclusively from LaLiga and the Serie A.

No less than 150 games will broadcast live in HD and be included in the bundle price in the coming weeks as LaLiga, Serie A and the UK Premier League resume. Additionally, Origin customers can also use their Amazon Prime accounts to watch unlimited series and movies, sign up to Britbox, or even watch the latest cinema releases on Rakuten TV – all through one unique discovery and search experience, powered by Netgem TV.

Origin plans for further product and customer growth throughout 2021 with Origin TV being a key part of the growth strategy, offering customers more choice, better value and an upgraded service.

Netgem TV, whose service was named "Most Advanced TV service" at the 2019 Video Tech Awards, and who offers "the best 2020 Freeview Play set-top box in the UK" as awarded by Expert Review, was selected as the perfect partner to deliver Origin’s ambitious plans.

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Oliver Bryssau, CEO at Origin Broadband, said: "Origin has enjoyed double-digit growth in a highly competitive marketplace, and the low-cost yet high-quality and flexible television service provided by Netgem was the perfect tool to continue to drive that growth forwards.

"Netgem allows us to provide a genuine value broadband and video package alternative to the £50/m and upwards routinely charged by our competitors, and has allowed us to do so quickly and with very little capital exposure."

The Netgem TV service is designed for maximum consumer convenience, acting as a "one stop shop" for all their video content needs, whether that is free-to-air television, YouTube, or any one of the app-based premium services that can be accessed on a convenient and flexible month-to-month basis. As such it is a perfect fit for the agile altnets that are flourishing in the UK and Ireland and transforming the landscape of ultra-fast broadband provision.

Sylvain Thevenot, chief commercial and customer officer, at Netgem TV, said: "There was no better partner than Origin Broadband to introduce the next evolution of our TV service in the UK, offering greater choice at better value to the consumer and a fast launching solution to ISPs looking to add video to their services and expand their reach,” says

"The altnets are seeing great success in the currently challenging economy and we believe that adding flexible, high quality and value-conscious video services to their offering, as Origin Broadband has just done, will help continue to drive their growth forward and increase customer loyalty.”

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News: O2 switches on 5G in Rotherham

O2's next generation 5G network is now live in areas of 60 towns and cities across the UK, including Rotherham.

The mobile operator has beaten its original target as it continues to support mobile Britain during a time of unprecedented reliance on network connectivity.

5G is a term used to describe the fifth generation of mobile communications technologies. It is not yet fully developed but it is set to be a wireless connectivity solution that will enable thousands of users to get online, all at once, and all benefit from ultrafast speeds. It is the closeness of the transmitters, unlike 4G where they are far apart, that will create an "always on" connectivity.

Rival operator, EE, switched on 5G in Rotherham earlier this year.

The next generation 5G network is crucial in developing the national digital infrastructure, helping customers and businesses connect like never before to support the economy as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. O2 customers with 5G-enabled devices will be able enjoy the benefits of fifth generation connectivity.

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O2's 5G network continues to have no premium, and includes its "Limitless" tariff, offering consumers unlimited data browsing, as well as its existing custom plans, which will ensure customers have the flexibility to take advantage of 5G on their terms.

Brendan O’Reilly, chief technology officer at O2 said: "O2 is at the forefront of connectivity which is now one of the UK's most valued services. As the UK faces an uncertain year ahead, it's vital we continue to invest in new innovations and technologies to keep Britain mobile and connected.

"I believe technologies like 5G and LTE-M are going to revolutionise the way people and businesses use mobile connectivity, unlocking huge possibilities for our economy and society."

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News: EE switches on 5G in Rotherham

EE, the phone network that offers 5G in more places than any other network in the UK, has expanded its coverage to now cover Rotherham and Dinnington.

5G is a term used to describe the fifth generation of mobile communications technologies. It is not yet fully developed but it is set to be a wireless connectivity solution that will enable thousands of users to get online, all at once, and all benefit from ultrafast speeds. It is the closeness of the transmitters, unlike 4G where they are far apart, that will create an "always on" connectivity.

The borough was an early beneficiary of 4G when it was switched on by EE in 2013. Rival network, Three UK announced last year that Rotherham would be getting coverage under its own 5G roll out.

EE looks to have stolen a march on Three in South Yorkshire, switching on 5G in 21 new towns and cities across the UK, bringing the UK's best mobile experience to a total of 71 locations, and 5G to more places in the UK than any other operator.

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EE launched with 5G coverage in London, Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff, Birmingham and Manchester in May 2019, and has expanded 5G on a daily basis. EE has now added 5G to Bath, Birkenhead, Clydebank, Motherwell and Rotherham and switched on its first 5G sites in Bransholme, Bury, Chelmsford, Cheshunt, Clevedon, Dartford, Dinnington, Loughborough, Loughton, North Shields, Rochester, Rugeley, Swadlincote, South Shields, Staines and Waltham Cross.

Marc Allera, CEO of BT's consumer division, said: "We have 5G coverage in more places than any other operator, and remain focused on connecting even more towns and cities in 2020 and beyond to keep our customers connected in the busiest places."

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News: Council press ahead with Rotherham town centre Wi-Fi

Rotherham Council is looking for a private company to take forward its plans to offer free Wi-Fi in the town centre.

Rothbiz reported at the end of 2017 that the authority was looking at free Wi-Fi as part of a range of measures to try and stimulate footfall and support existing businesses as they wait for more catalyst projects in the new masterplan to revive the town centre.

More details emerged last year with Rotherham hoping to follow the likes of Sheffield with with a scheme designed to include no or minimal upfront or ongoing investment by the authority. A concession contract would see a private company install superfast and ultrafast broadband equipment in exchange for providing the bidder with exclusive use of council-owned street lights and street furniture for wireless communications.

Now tender documents show a potential ten year opportunity to provide free of charge public access Wi-Fi connectivity in the Rotherham indoor market and outdoor area, Rotherham town centre, and Clifton Park. The Council will grant the company the opportunity to install equipment on streetlights and buildings.

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In Sheffield, local firm, Idaq Networks has provided the wi-fi service by installing 220 pieces of superfast and ultrafast broadband equipment to council-owned street lights and street furniture. Over 17,000 unique devices use the service everyday.

Rotherham Council is hoping for phase 1 to be implemented at the markets next year.

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Currently free Wi-Fi in the town centre is available in specific buildings or retail / leisure outlets. For example, at Rotherham Council's Riverside House and the library, Tesco, McDonald's and Wetherspoons.

Last year, BT replaced its traditional BT phone boxes in Rotherham town centre with new "InLinks" - fully-accessible community structures that can provide free ultrafast Wi-Fi, free UK landline and mobile calls and free mobile device charging.

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News: £27m broadband contract completes

Superfast South Yorkshire (SFSY) has celebrated the successful completion of a £27m contract to deliver faster broadband to residents and businesses across South Yorkshire.

SFSY is the partnership between the authorities of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield and BT, which secured £28m to improve the region's access to superfast broadband.

Nearly 95,000 businesses and residents can now access superfast speeds as a result of  the programme which is part of the Government's BDUK initiative and based on a gap funded subsidy approach, where the private sector invests alongside a public subsidy to provide broadband to areas where there is not otherwise a viable commercial market.

The upgrades have been well received, with more than half (55,000) of the newly enabled homes and businesses signing up for a service so far.

In addition to the success of the first phase of the roll-out, a second phase will see almost 10,000 more homes and businesses upgraded, with the majority set to benefit from Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) technology, capable of blistering speeds of up to 1Gbps (Gigabit per second). 1

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Matt Warman, Minister for Digital and Broadband, said: "It is fantastic to see that nearly 95,000 residents and businesses in South Yorkshire are now reaping the benefits of superfast speeds.

"Connectivity is high on the UK Government's agenda. We want to deliver world-class, gigabit-capable broadband across the country as soon as possible and have already committed more than £650m for full fibre roll-out."

Matt Gladstone, Executive Director for Place at Barnsley Council and SFSY project sponsor, added: "It's a real achievement that the first phase of Superfast South Yorkshire has been completed.

"We've seen a real appetite from a significant number of homes and businesses in South Yorkshire, and we expect that more people will want to take advantage of some of the fastest broadband speeds in the UK.

"This will enable communities across South Yorkshire to increase their connectivity and access a range of online services. It's a fantastic project that provides the opportunity for people to be digital first, not only for this generation, but also for generations to come."

The faster speeds are not automatically available when a structure is upgraded. To benefit from faster speeds, businesses and residents first need to check online to see if their area has been upgraded, before getting in touch with their broadband provider to arrange an upgrade.

Robert Thorburn, Openreach partnership director, said: "Openreach has delivered one of biggest feats of civil engineering undertaken in South Yorkshire in recent years.

"The Superfast South Yorkshire team and all the Openreach engineers who have worked alongside them should be very proud of making this happen and for the overall success of the programme so far. Our work in South Yorkshire continues and we look forward to bringing better broadband to thousands more residents and businesses."

SFSY website

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News: CityFibre progresses plans for Rotherham

The second phase of rollouts extending CityFibre's Gigabit City programme includes Rotherham and can create full fibre running all the way into the borough's properties.

The leading designer, builder, owner, and operator of fibre optic infrastructure in UK towns and cities provides an alternative to BT Openreach.

Rotherham is one of 12 new regions that join alongside the 12 cities already announced, and form the next phase in CityFibre's £2.5bn investment plan to bring competitive full fibre infrastructure to at least five million homes, more than 20% of the UK market.

CityFibre has commenced network design and is already investing in each location, extending its existing full fibre spine infrastructure serving schools, hospitals and council offices, to reach nearly every home and business.

A planning application has been submitted to convert an empty business unit in Masbrough into a data centre for CityFibre.

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Each Gigabit City design will include enough fibre capacity to serve the bandwidth demands of all market verticals far into the future. The networks, which are designed to be ready for 5G small cell densification, also provide a platform to realise Smart City ambitions.

Greg Mesch, CEO at CityFibre, said: "CityFibre's sole purpose is to deliver the future-proof digital infrastructure the UK deserves. With a new Prime Minister set to increase government's ambitions for the pace of full fibre rollout, we are delighted to welcome another 14 towns and cities to our Gigabit City Club. These Gigabit Cities will not only gain new full fibre networks that will spark their digital transformation, but also unleash the benefits that only competitive infrastructure investment can bring.

"Our rollout to five million homes is gathering momentum. We have now confirmed 26 locations and over two million homes in our programme. We are investing, we are building, and we are connecting customers to networks of the future."

CityFibre website

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News: Rotherham to get 5G this year

Communications company, Three UK, has confirmed that it will be bringing the UK's fastest 5G network to Rotherham as one of the first locations this year.

5G is a term used to describe the fifth generation of mobile communications technologies. It is not yet fully developed but it is set to be a wireless connectivity solution that will enable thousands of users to get online, all at once, and all benefit from ultrafast speeds. It is the closeness of the transmitters, unlike 4G where they are far apart, that will create an "always on" connectivity.

The borough was an early beneficiary of 4G when it was switched on by EE in 2013.

Three has now confirmed that after launching 5G in August with a 5G home broadband service in London, it will then launch both mobile and home broadband offerings in 25 towns and cities across the UK before the end of the year - including Sheffield and Rotherham.

Part of the CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd group of companies, Three UK said that it has more than twice as much 5G spectrum as its closest competitor, which will deliver significantly faster speeds for its customers. It has committed to a £2bn 5G infrastructure investment.

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At launch, peak mobile speeds are set to be at least two times faster than other mobile network operators and will provide a more reliable connection and experience for customers. 5G is likely to be tens of times faster than 4G.

The "plug and play" 5G service from Three for the home is set to offer comparable speeds to fibre without lengthy engineer wait times or a long-term contract.

Dave Dyson, CEO at Three, said: "It's clear that consumers and businesses want more and more data. We have the UK's best network for data and we have led the market on customer usage on both 3G and 4G technologies. We have worked hard over a long period of time to be able to offer the best end to end 5G experience.

"5G is a game changer for Three, and of course I am excited that we will be the only operator in the UK who can offer true 5G."

Last year, the Sheffield city region missed out in a bid to secure millions from the Government's Urban Connected Communities Project for the development of a large-scale, citywide testbed for wireless 5G infrastructure.

Three UK website

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News: Origin Broadband moving on after CVA approval

Origin Broadband seems to have relocated to Rotherham town centre from its Manvers base having secured a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) with its creditors in order to keep trading.

Rothbiz reported in December that the internet company had been hit by high costs and bad debts as it tried to press ahead with ambitious growth plans.

Launching in 2011, Origin has developed its own infrastructure and now host the sixth largest broadband network in the UK. Supplying phone and internet services to businesses and homes across the UK, Origin aims to reach 250,000 customers by 2020.

As part of the growth plans, earlier in 2018, the firm moved from Doncaster to the 53,665 sq ft Unit 7 at Callflex Business Park, Manvers which the firm said "offers an even bigger opportunity for growth."

Now the firm has switched its address to the Old Town Hall in Rotherham town centre. It comes after a CVA was approved at the end of the year.

It is thought that the CVA has lead to a number of redundancies.

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Struggling companies can use a CVA to pay creditors over a fixed period. 75% approval from unsecured creditors is needed to complete a CVA which enables the company to continue trading.

Documents show that Origin Broadband creditors are owed a total of £4.48m and that 100% of creditors voted to accept the CVA.

By far the biggest creditor is BT plc, who were owed £3.68m. Other large creditors include media company Awin (£260,000) and Castan Ltd (£325,000) - the firm that progressed plans for housing within Building 7 on Callflex Business Park back in 2016.

A charge was filed in October relating to a loan facility between Origin and FCFM Group - the owners of The Old Town Hall.

Financial statements filed with Companies House show that Origin Broadband posted a full year loss to March 31 2018 of £7m but funding of £6.75m was secured from investors during and after the financial year to return the business "to a positive net asset position combined with increased cash funds."

The results added that the high growth experienced by the company saw significant up-front costs combined with overhead costs and prudent bad debt assumptions.

Work had been ongoing to secure venture capital and other investment.

Origin Broadband website

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News: Deal done for full fibre broadband

Superfast South Yorkshire (SFSY) has confirmed that it is working with Openreach on a £10m project which aims to make fibre broadband available to as close to 100% coverage as technically possible.

SFSY is the partnership between the authorities of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield and BT, which secured £28m to improve the region's access to superfast broadband.

Phase 2 is targeting another 9,000 homes, providing "ultrafast" connections. New speeds of up to a Gigabit (1Gbps) will be available, 24 times faster than the UK average of 46Mbps. Areas to be connected first include New Lodge in Barnsley, Bessacarr in Doncaster, Sunnyside in Rotherham, and High Green in Sheffield.

SFSY said this week that 98% of Rotherham now has access to fibre broadband.

The project is part of the Government's BDUK initiative which is based on a gap funded subsidy approach, where the private sector invests alongside a public subsidy to provide broadband to areas where there is not otherwise a viable commercial market.

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Matt Gladstone, executive director for place at Barnsley Council and SFSY project sponsor, said: "This is fantastic news for South Yorkshire and confirms our commitment to providing residents and businesses with the opportunity to access the latest technology.

"A lot of fantastic work has already taken place to make high-speed fibre broadband available to thousands of homes and businesses, many for the first time. But we're not finished yet. This next phase will connect people living in areas across the region that don't yet have access to fibre networks. Once installed full fibre will not only provide ultrafast speeds but will also future-proof the network for years to come."

Reccomended reading: Is Starlink the Right Choice for You in Rotherham?

Robert Thorburn, partnership director in the North for Openreach, added: "We are delighted to have been chosen to take our partnership in South Yorkshire even further. Making sure that homes and businesses across the region have the connectivity they require is vital for the long-term prosperity and economic health of an area. This second phase of work means that thousands of local homes and businesses will soon have access to some of the fastest broadband speeds in the UK."

With detailed planning and survey work already underway the first full fibre connections will be live for 2020. Over 9,000 properties will be fully connected by spring 2021.

SFSY website

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News: Broadband boss back on the beat

Robin Powner, a long-standing Origin Broadband customer from Doncaster, had a surprise visit from the firm's CEO Oliver Bryssau when he needed an engineer recently.

When the company started in the ISP world over seven years ago, the two founders Oliver and Henri used to set-up customer routers in their homes. with rapid expansion across the UK in the last few years, this isn't possible anymore because of an increasing customer base.

That's until Oliver heard about Robin, who was left without any internet after another company accidentally took over his connection.

Mac, one of Origin's team leaders in the customer service department knew he needed to get Robin and his wife back online. This is when Oliver heard about the situation Robin was in and decided to bring back one of our old traditions.

Oliver and Mac, armed with their tech knowledge and a bunch of flowers, went to Robin's home and got him back online in no time.

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Oliver Bryssau, CEO of Origin Broadband, said: "We pride ourselves on giving the best customer service. It's been great to get back on the road again and meet our customers. I'd like to thank Mr and Mrs Powner, for inviting us into their home. Origin has grown a lot over the last seven years, but our customers remain at the heart of everything we do."

Launching in 2011, Origin has developed its own infrastructure and now host the sixth largest broadband network in the UK. Supplying phone and internet services to businesses and homes across the UK, clients include Amazon – where Origin is the preferred provider for all new warehouse and corporate sites, NHS Sheffield and various UK universities.

The company's growth has attracted significant investment, allowing Origin to move its head office from two sites in Doncaster to a single, larger base in Rotherham.

Taking on the 53,665 sq ft Unit 7 at Callflex Business Park at Manvers, the firm believes that it offers an even bigger opportunity for growth. The building, which had been empty ever since it was built, has the capacity to seat up to 700 people across all three floors.

Origin Broadband website

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News: BT planning free Wi-Fi for Rotherham town centre

Telecoms giant, BT, looks set to steal a march on Rotherham Council's plans for free Wi-Fi in Rotherham town centre by bringing its phoneboxes into the 21st century.

The InLinkUK from BT service is delivered through a collaborative approach that sees traditional BT phone boxes replaced by new "InLinks" - fully-accessible community structures that can provide free ultrafast Wi-Fi, free UK landline and mobile calls and free mobile device charging.

At no cost to the taxpayer, the structures are paid for by advertising. BT is working with leading UK outdoor advertising company Primesight and urban innovation company Intersection. So far, around 150 InLinks are active in the UK, having been launched in London last year.

Now a series of planning applications have been submitted that would enable BT to replace phoneboxes on Howard Street, College Street and Upper Millgate in the town centre.

Powered by 100% renewable energy, InLinks have two 55" HD digital displays for advertising and are also used for real-time information, such as travel updates and weather forecasts. Each council is also provided with 5% of screen time​ on each InLink to promote and educate. This allocation is equivalent to 438 hours of screen time on each InLink every year.

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Users need to provide an email address to access the free Wi-Fi and so far over 100,000+ users have registered to access speeds that are up to 1 Gb per second within 100 metres. 587,000+ free phone calls have also been made.

Neil Scoresby, general manager for Payphones and InLink at BT, said: "We're really excited by InLinkUK from BT and the popularity of its services, such as free ultrafast Wi-Fi and free calls, show that it's proving a hit with customers as well. We're in discussion with many local councils about installing more InLinks and we're looking forward to rolling out InLinks to more London boroughs and major cities across the UK."

Matt Bird, general manager for InLinkUK, added: "We are making great progress in our journey of creating smart communities, and with the InLinks offering free ultrafast wi-fi and a host of other free digital services, we are well on our way to achieving this in key UK cities."

Rothbiz reported in May that Rotherham Council is developing a free Wi-Fi scheme using a concession contract that would see a private company install superfast and ultrafast broadband equipment in exchange for providing the bidder with exclusive use of council-owned street lights and street furniture for wireless communications.

As well as covering the main town centre shopping district, the proposal would also cover public open spaces such as Clifton Park.

InLink UK website

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