Summer 2023
We are coming to the end of our fibre to the premises projects for the core area having completed more than 400 connections, with about 100 to go. These connections cover the villages of Abthorpe, Bradden, Lois Weedon, Weston, Wappenham, Slapton and Woodend. We are also upgrading the wireless access points in Helmdon with a direct fibre connection so that their capacity is greatly increased.
Abthorpe Broadband Association project manages this work and uses local contractors where at all possible.
The infrastructure cables are rodent proof 9mm corrugated steel armoured outer containing a loose tube of 12 fibre-optic strands. Any strain on the outer tube should not damage the fibres - at least that's the theory. We bury the cable between 0.5 and 1.0m deep depending upon the ground use and sometimes more for special circumstances. With 3" of soil pushed back over the cable, we lay a green tape, then re-fill the trench, finally seeding the surface. It is generally not possible to see where we have been within 4 months of the construction. At strategic points we construct an inspection chamber which eventually contains fibre junctions and feeds to properties.
We have a variation of cables availble to feed the properties from thin tuff cables to water pipes containing fibre cables.