Broadband solution for Crockenhill

Many villagers around Kent would prefer not to see high speeds around the village green.

But not all speed is bad. For people living in 700 or so homes in the Crockenhill area near Swanley, including Well Hill, the £46,500 from Kent County Council that made it possible to speed up broadband is very welcome indeed.

A community broadband grant was given to the village in January 2011 and the first phase of improvements has just gone live.

This now means that there will be an upgrade to the telecoms equipment in a cabinet on the village green, and another to follow soon at a nearby roundabout. This will bring faster broadband access to the community.

The company chosen to provide the upgrades is Call Flow Solutions, based in East Peckham. A wireless service will also be deployed, providing coverage for households and businesses in the Well Hill area.

Roger Gough, KCC Cabinet member for Business Strategy, Performance and Health Reform, said: “For most people, good broadband is almost as important a utility as reliable electricity or gas. For businesses, it can make the difference between success or failure. I am very pleased that KCC is able to provide the investment to make this kind of improvement possible for the Crockenhill and Well Hill area.

“In May we announced a further £250,000 to local communities that will make a real difference to local people and get rid of those ‘not spot’ broadband areas.”

The first five communities to become rural superfast broadband pilot areas were also announced last month, involving funding of up to £100,000 per community.

Andy Conibere, managing director of Call Flow Solutions said: “We are delighted to be launching the first phase of this solution, less than five months from contract signature. Call Flow are a leading UK provider of this technology, which effectively brings the distant telephone exchange right into the heart of the community, resulting in much higher broadband speeds.

“Being a Kent-based company, we are working with several other local areas and are looking forward to bringing this solution to many more Kent communities in the near future.”