We’ve been working for over ten years to bring County Durham residents fast, reliable broadband and have seen first hand how the roll out is not always straight forward. Here are five things that can affect broadband delivery that you might not know about.
1. Trees
In areas where there are a lot of trees, particular in more rural areas, network providers can see problems such as damaged ducts and ducts that have been moved out of line because of tree roots.
2. Blocked ducts
Fibre is fed underground through ducts with some of these ducts being buried for years. Over time the ducts can get blocked with silt and make it impossible for the fibre to get through. Blockages will then either need to be broken down with a rod pushed through, or in worse cases providers may need to dig into the ground to reach the duct.
3. Ceramic ducts
Whilst new ducting is mainly made of PVC this isn’t the case for historical ducting. In areas where the ducts haven’t been replaced, they can be ceramic, which is much more easily broken and more likely to cause problems.
4. Land ownership
Where possible network providers will try and use public land and work with the highways and street works teams at the local council. Where this isn’t possible, and providers need to use private land legal documents are required and often delays occur.
5. Roadworks
Whilst broadband delivery can sometimes be the cause of roadworks, other roadworks can sometimes cause problems for broadband delivery. From resurfacing to water and electrical works, roadworks can cause delays or even change where and how broadband is deployed.
