Community Engagement Needed to Transform the Digital Future of Cardigan, Llandysul, and Maesycrugiau
Ceredigion County Council is dedicated to becoming one of the best-connected rural counties in the UK.
The goal is to enhance both fixed and mobile connectivity to boost business growth, support the economy, improve residents’ quality of life, enhance tourism, and protect the environment. Several projects are currently underway to achieve these goals through various schemes and funding opportunities, including Openreach’s initiative to bring ultrafast, ultra-reliable full fibre broadband to homes and businesses in Cardigan, Llandysul, and Maesycrugiau (which also supports some premises on Ceredigion's side of the border).
Openreach has identified Cardigan and Llandysul as prime candidates for a Full Fibre network. However, a critical component for the success of this project is the community’s ability to demonstrate demand by pledging the free UK Government Gigabit Vouchers to Openreach’s project to meet the necessary funding threshold.
Using these vouchers, which come at no cost to residents, validates community interest and is essential for unlocking UK Government funding. This will enable Openreach to collaborate with the local community to build a customised, co-funded network.
Councillor Clive Davies, Cabinet Member for Economy and Regeneration, stated: “Full fibre technology is not just about faster internet speeds. It's about establishing a more reliable, resilient, and future-proof digital infrastructure for Cardigan and Llandysul. We are eager to see digital advancements like this one succeed. This will benefit not only individual households but also local businesses, schools, and healthcare services. This project was successful earlier in the year with Tregaron and Rhydlewis which has paved the way for these similar initiatives to spread across Ceredigion.”
Full fibre technology offers more reliable, resilient, and future-proof connectivity, leading to fewer faults, more consistent speeds, and ample capacity to meet growing data demands. It is future-proof, meaning it will serve future generations and will not require upgrading for decades.
Martin Williams, Openreach’s Partnership Director for Wales, highlighted the importance of community involvement: "This is an exciting opportunity for the residents of Cardigan, Llandysul, and Maesycrugiau to bring the benefits of ultrafast, ultra-reliable full fibre broadband to their community. However, building out the network in these more remote locations is challenging, which is why community collaboration is crucial."
Residents of Cardigan, Llandysul, and Maesycrugiau can pledge vouchers through the ‘Connect my community’ website at https://www.openreach.com/connectmycommunity.
For more information on digital projects in Ceredigion, visit https://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/business/ceredigital/.
