Residents and businesses in Southwark are set to receive ultrafast, fibre-optic broadband over the next five years, the council has announced.
Rotherhithe and Bermondsey are first in line to enjoy the gigabit-per-second speeds, with the remainder of the borough having their internet upgraded by 2027.
This turbo-charging of Southwark’s internet is thanks to a new agreement between Southwark Council and Openreach, which will see £20 million invested in the borough’s digital infrastructure.
The money will be used to replace existing copper cables with “full fibre” optics that can deliver speeds of up to 1 gigabit – 10 times faster than average speeds today.
“The future is digital and we have made it a priority to ensure Southwark’s residents and businesses are among the best connected in London,” said Cllr Kieron Williams, leader of Southwark Council.
“In the past Southwark experienced the worst broadband speeds in London and is now the third most connected borough,” he added.
However, there are doubts surrounding the necessity of super-fast internet speeds.
“Your average British household doesn’t actually need all that much speed,” writes Dan Howdle at internet comparison site Cable.
“Everyday uses such as surfing the internet or streaming movies and TV only start to tax your average connection when a few people in the household are doing them at the same time.”
Still, he pointed out that ultrafast broadband might be appropriate for gamers or households watching multiple 4K films.
Ultrafast broadband brings internet speeds of 360 – 1000 megabits per second (Mbps), enough to stream between 50 and 150 HD movies at the same time.
Currently the average broadband speed in Southwark is 51 Mbps, although there are significant variations across the area.
The council have said the investment will help resolve the poor connectivity issues Southwark has faced over the years, with Rotherhithe currently identified as one of the worst connected areas in the borough.
Connectivity dead zones in areas such as Peckham and Dulwich will also be tackled by the project.
Compared to copper wire the new fibre-optic cables are also resistant to bad weather and far less likely to slow down or drop out.
“Better connectivity plays an important part in the long-term economic development of the borough, as we bounce back from the pandemic,” said Cllr Williams.
“We are also committed to tackling digital exclusion so everyone can enjoy the benefits of full fibre such as lending out broadband routers at our libraries and digital skills events,” he added.
A map of Openreach’s plans in Southwark is available at www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/fibre-first and to find out whether Full Fibre is available at your home or business, check your postcode at www.openreach.com.
I’ve had Gb internet speeds for over 4 years already! I wouldn’t use an ISP that couldn’t deliver proper speeds…