Community

How BiGDiG works

BiGDiG now has a formal constitution and a board of trustees - currently Andy Williams (Chair), Chris Balmer, John Davis, Chris Hall and Peter Kenington. This structure will allow us to engage with Monmouthshire County Council and to apply for financial and practical assistance from them towards our goal – to bring high-speed broadband to “Greater Devauden”.

We depend entirely on the efforts of volunteers to make things happen. If you think you might be able to help, whether by acting as a trustee or perhaps as a local advocate, please get in touch.

Scope

We have coined the phrase “Greater Devauden” to describe an area which we believe could realistically and economically receive faster broadband services based on an infrastructure centred on Devauden. This area is shown on the map below.

Only when we have engaged with potential suppliers will we be able to finalise the area to be served, however our driving mission is to ensure that all residents and businesses within the area have access to genuinely fast broadband services at competitive prices.

We are not specifying the methods which suppliers will use to deliver these services, however it is likely that the solution will comprise a mixture of “Fibre to the cabinet” (FTTC), “Fibre to the premises” (FTTP) and wireless delivery. We believe that it is unlikely that satellite-based solutions will meet the needs of the community in the long-term, but will consider any realistic proposals.

Plans

We anticipate that the project will comprise five main phases:

1. Engage with the community to establish the level of interest

2. Engage with suppliers to obtain costed proposals and select a preferred supplier

3. Assist community members in completing Welsh Government grant applications

4. Engage with the Welsh Government and Monmouthshire Council to obtain grant finance

5. Sign up customers, install the infrastructure and commence the service

There are a number of different ways in which we could manage the final stage of the project, and these options will become clearer as the project progresses. Watch this space for further information.

How you can help

Please support BiGDiG by registering your interest. You can do this now by completing the form on our registration page .

To learn more about BiGDiG and faster broadband, visit our FAQ page.

How to check your broadband speed

When applying for a Welsh Government Broadband Support Grant, you will need to submit copies of three speedchecks as evidence that your download speed is consistently below 2Mbps.

To assist us in compiling the results of the speed tests please use the BiGDiG Speed Test Page.