Case Study
Cheshire
July 2022

Fast broadband is now a necessity for families:
'We were under a significant amount of strain'

Although living just a few kilometres outside Macclesfield town centre in Cheshire, Jacqui Bell and her family were desperately struggling with slow broadband speeds of just 1 Mbps. Jacqui was finding it hard to run her own business from home and was simply unable to get online if her children were using the internet at the same time.

She alerted BT, her broadband provider, to her issue but was told that unfortunately there was no even mid-term prospect of her being able to access a fibre-based broadband service with the improved speeds that might offer. She therefore faced a significantly disadvantaged future, where digital isolation was set to continue having a major negative impact on both her professional and family life - that is, until she found National Broadband.

Jacqui desperately needed a fast and reliable internet connection, both for her business and for her children to be able to get schoolwork done online simultaneously. Having been told there was no prospect of getting a fibre-based service, she presumed her chances of finding a solution were slim and had resigned herself to ongoing frustratingly slow connectivity.

However upon coming across National Broadband, to her huge relief she found that the company was rapidly able to help her by providing her with a fast broadband service delivered over 4G. Because 4G coverage wasn't strong at Jacqui's location, National Broadband also fitted an outdoor 4G antenna at her property, which maximised the 4G broadband performance supplied.

Jacqui's previous slow connection issues have now been entirely resolved and the family's online experience completely transformed, with all members now being able to be online at the same time without any restriction or drop in performance.

Jacqui explained: "From the moment we contacted National Broadband, they talked us through our options and then delivered on what they promised. Before finding their solution, we were unable to all be online at once. This was extremely frustrating for us all and put the whole household under a significant amount of strain. Now we have a solution providing us with reliable broadband that works for the whole of our family."

Latest research conducted by National Broadband revealed that almost 90% of people view broadband as an essential utility alongside water, gas and electricity. This highlights the increasing importance of and reliance upon good quality internet connectivity. The public's personal and professional lives are now dependent on this, with the same research showing that since the pandemic, over half the UK is now more reliant than ever on broadband. Despite this, when it comes to current Government broadband policy, homes and businesses in more rural areas are liable to be overlooked, leaving those communities increasingly digitally isolated.

There are many people finding themselves in a similar situation to Jacqui and her family, being stuck with unreliable broadband at a time when it has become essential. Recent figures from Ofcom show that well over half a million UK properties still don't have access to decent broadband via a fixed or landline connection, including roughly 1,000 premises in and around Macclesfield itself.

David Hennell, Business Development Director at National Broadband said: "All too often the supply of fit for purpose broadband to rural communities is deprioritised, leaving those like Jacqui Bell desperately looking for alternative solutions. This so-called 'Digital Divide' has a substantial real-world impact on those affected - if a home or business simply has no access to a good internet connection, those living or working there will be genuinely and severely disadvantaged."

He continued: "It makes no sense for the Government to invest hundreds of millions of pounds from the public purse to fund full-fibre connections for those in urban environments who already have access to perfectly good broadband and especially when so many more rurally situated properties are struggling with the very worst internet connectivity. Only by looking to alternative broadband delivery technologies such as 4G to bring high-quality connectivity to those most in need will the Government's much-mentioned commitment to 'Levelling Up' have any chance of being achieved."