Good IT Infrastructure Should Be The Norm For New Developments

Published on: 30 Apr, 2012
Updated on: 30 Apr, 2012

A fibre optic cable

From David Smith

I have recently moved from my parent’s house in Downside Road (fringe of town) to my first place at the new Boxgrove Gardens Development.

I always read stories about broadband speeds and David Cameron’s vision for higher super fast speeds but thought it was all a ‘nice to have’ and that most people had good access to the internet. Indeed, living at my parent’s, off Warren Road, we had fibre optic and the internet was great. (If we had it there surely we would have it along the Epsom Road?)

What has truly shocked me is that at Boxgrove Gardens there is no fibre optic (deemed to be the latest technology) and speeds in the development due to an overloaded exchange are about 1.0 – 2.0 mbps which is low. What’s worse is that because the roads are owned I believe by Linden Homes who are probably unlikely to want dug up to install fibre optic, they are in theory at least un-adopted.

Cable laying under the Portsmouth Road Guildford in 2010

I am shocked that new developments are not installing the latest infrastructure, such as fibre optic cables, at the time of making the roads. It is very short sighted and should be a requirement on all new build properties in the borough.

I’m sure this not including them goes completely against David Cameron’s aspirations. How on earth are we ever going to get it right and meet these faster speed aims if we can’t even install it at time of construction in 2012. The cost of such cabling comes about by digging up the roads. Doing it at construction must be much far cheaper.

What concerns me is new developments going forward. I think is scandalous for good internet infrastructure not to be included as a matter of course. This shouldn’t be happening in 2012 in such an urban location.