IN A statement made by UK Broadband in April 2012 they said “Swindon will be the first local authority in the UK to have a borough-wide 4G LTE network” and in October 2012, Coun Garry Perkins made a clear and unequivocal statement – supported by Mr Hitesh Patel, that ultra fast broadband and superfast 4G wireless broadband would be available to Swindon’s residents, businesses and public sector from 9 October 2012.
Mr Patel, who was the council director charged with overseeing the broadband project, said: “It is, however, absolutely true to say that UBK are providing a ‘wireless broadband service to households and businesses’ 4G LTE technology, this service will be switched on in Swindon on Monday 9th October and residents and businesses will be able to buy this on that day.”
In a report to the Scrutiny Committee, officers said: “The core transmission network which combines hybrid microwave and 4G LTE technology is in place and has gone live making superfast broadband available, using the service name ‘Now Broadband’, to an estimated 67,000 households and 2,600 businesses in Swindon.”
It will come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the saga of Digital City and UKB to read that ‘Now Broadband’ vanished with the same speed as the £400,000 given to Rikki Hunt’s failed project.
On 14 September 2014 UKB’s website carried the message ‘UKB has today announced that Swindon will be the first local authority in the UK to have a borough-wide 4G-LTE network’
One wonders why SBC and UKB are reluctant to answer two simple questions:
1. How many Internet Service Providers have signed up to use the 13 transmission masts installed in October 2012?
2. How many of the 67,000 households and 2,600 businesses are using broadband services allied to the existing ‘Swindon-wide’ UKB network?
Surely it would be in the best interests of all parties to actually clarify what has already been achieved in order that a proper evaluation of the future can be made?
DES MORGAN
Caraway Drive
Swindon