MANY areas of Daventry will still be unable to access superfast broadband speeds, even though the town exchange has now been upgraded.
The Gusher reported last week how high internet speeds are now available in Daventry for the first time ever after BT upgraded the town exchange.
But after carrying out some further investigations we have found that many areas in the town will be unable to sign up for superfast speeds.
Streets that we tested on Middlemore, The Grange, Lang Farm, Ashby Fields and Timken were out of reach of the exchange and therefore will not be able to upgrade.
Anyone is able to check whether they can sign up for superfast speeds by visiting BT’s online checker website and typing in their phone number or address.
Daventry District Council’s portfolio holder for access and communication Colin Poole said: “It’s absolutely abysmal that in Daventry we are 80 miles from the centre of London, but in reality we are living in the stone age.
“We are trying to promote the business community but unfortunately we still can’t pick up superfast broadband in some parts of town.
“We will do everything we can as an authority to work on this, but I think the problem is we are over reliant on private companies solving the problem.
“It’s a frustration and we are being restricted because of this.”
Daventry mayor Colin Morgan, who lives on Middlemore, said: “We are in a digital age and if we want to make this country more sustainable in terms of people being able to work from home and not travel as much then we need to see an improvement in this infrastructure.
“When people build estates like Middlemore they should have a more robust infrastructure. I work from home a couple of days a week and it would be a lot more productive for me if I could access faster internet speeds.”
On the plus side businesses in the town centre will be able to access the superfast speeds.
Peter Harper, who owns businesses on Sheaf Street, said: “We all know that on occasions the broadband we currently have is not the sharpest so I’m pleased that this has been introduced.
“It’s a huge leap forward for the town and is long overdue, I’m considering signing up for it.
“It will hopefully encourage other businesses to look at investing in Daventry which can only be good for the town.”
BT said that not all areas can access superfast speeds, but that the project is constantly evolving.
East Midlands director Paul Bimson said: “Nobody is doing more than BT to roll out faster broadband across the region and we want to go further.
“The local authority along with key local business organisations are keen to get fibre broadband to as many local homes and businesses as possible and so we will offer our help and assistance to make that happen.”