Dan Hague is the Senior Project Manager who leads the BT Openreach deployment team to delivering the fibre network for the Connecting Cheshire programme and we asked him some questions about the ongoing work.
- How is the project progressing?
We’re progressing at pace and made huge progress over the last 6 months. We have now passed over 60 000 premises. Soon we will be over 70 000, both of which are great milestones.
- What are the current issues that you’re facing?
Taking fibre optic cable to rural areas of Cheshire is challenging. Placing cables in the underground duct network involves ducts often not accessed for decades. We face issues with blockages, collapsed ducts, silt, water and cable congestion. We have techniques to clear blockages but often have to dig the footway or highway. When we need to dig, we need permission from Highways departments and often traffic management. These elements require coordination and time, but the Openreach team has some of the best experts in this field to ensure we keep progressing quickly and safely.
- Why are some areas taking longer to reach than others?
This type of engineering takes highly skilled engineers. Resources are a factor in speed of delivery. Some areas are particularly challenging to reach; for example historic city centres where digging is a challenge and very rural areas when significant lengths of new duct are required to be placed in the ground, and even new poles for overhead cabling. We’ve made excellent progress in most areas. Some remain particularly challenging. In such cases there really has been no option but to press on and resolve issues ‘one at a time’. This has taken time, but the Connecting Cheshire project remains committed to that delivery.
- What are the challenges for the Phase 2 Superfast Extension Programme?
Challenges will continue into phase 2, with even harder to reach areas. We have highly motivated and skilled engineering teams that will ensure we take superfast broadband to even more people across Cheshire.
