Computer Repair Ammanford | IT Support Ammanford

Ammanford, being just beyond the M4 and being a relatively small town, has been, for the most part, neglected in comparison to some of the other cities and communities in South Wales. Whilst Swansea has had the advantage of a metropolitan, fibre-optic network which gives the potential of particularly fast and powerful internet, Ammanford has not had this privilege. In many respects, this is understandable, since Swansea is bigger than Ammanford; many would argue that Swansea receiving the relevant technology should be prioritised. Despite this idea, it does not escape the face that Ammanford is inevitably burdened with insufficient internet capabilities because of its nature.

Ammanford, if it was to have any hope of having access to fast and convenient internet, has been wholly reliant on ADSL technology, which, by this point, is rather dated and very much inferior to that which is now on offer. What has only served to worsen this is the condition of the technology itself. Ammanford has had to grit its teeth because of the old and problematic copper and aluminium cables, something which has negatively affected the town’s ability to connect to the internet. This is without mentioning the damaged connection boxes, not serviced and maintained properly, a metaphorical pain in the neck that Ammanford has had to live with.

This description of the nature of Ammanford’s unfortunate and awkward situation could very well be an understatement when some particular areas are considered. Capel Hendre is in a very poor situation, because the closest telephone exchange to that area is Cross Hands. This means that their connection is particularly pathetic, sometimes giving them a leeway of no more than 1mbps. This is very problematic for the residents and demonstrates that this is an issue which needs to be addressed. For Milo, the closest exchange is Llandybie, which is also very weak in terms of the internet strength if offers them. Other exchanges include Llandeilo, Llangadog, Talley, Dryslwyn,  Gwynfe, Amman Valley, Pontardawe, Llanddarog, Pontyberem, and Pontarddulais.

These are only examples of areas that live on the peripheries of the ADSL. Because of this old technology and these cables, more maintenance is needed, which sometimes means that, if they stop working, businesses and residents can be waiting for hours for any form of broadband or IT support. BT have not necessarily had the greatest attitude towards these repairs and are content with fixing them with patches instead of complete repairs. This is without mentioning the satellite technology, which, admittedly, works well when it’s working, but when it’s not working, it can cause major problems because of delays and waits. In this sense, it’s not reliable, especially if you depend on the internet. This is why the project will be so beneficial for Ammanford; it will completely change the way the internet reaches the houses and businesses and it will be a complete replacement of the old, faulty technology.

However, this could very well change with the ‘Superfast-Cymru’ project. This project aims to roll out fibre-optic cable technology which will inevitably be far superior to what Ammanford already has. Fibre-optic technology communicates information through glass wiring which transfers it at a considerably faster rate than anything which ever preceded it. Its reliability is second-to-none and its potential is significant. This is particularly relevant to Ammanford, who, up to this point, have had to lump it, so to speak, with their current connection capabilities. The planned green roadside boxes will bring the internet that much closer to Ammanford’s eager fingertips. Copper wires will run from the individual houses to the nearest boxes; this will shorten the time it takes the information to travel, which will lead to the information arriving you that much faster. This is a definite improvement from what is already on offer and will make fast and easy connection to the internet a more realistic possibility for the inhabitants of Ammanford. Not only that, but the wider implications are promising as well; the project will create a number of new jobs and will generally be a significant help to businesses, particularly ones that depend on the internet, such as our business.

Despite this advantage, nobody exactly knows when the change will happen. It is obvious that planned changes are going to be made, but the time remaining before then is unclear and obscure. It is also impossible to tell where the green boxes will be located. Hazarding a guess is no good, because there is nothing even alluding to a set date or particular locations on the website. There are no indications that all boxes will be upgraded. The plans are in place regardless, and will be advantageous to everybody. If you’re interested in finding out more and keeping up to date with the relevant news, visit www.superfast-cymru.com and resources including a video, FAQs and a Twitter feed are available. Registering your interest is probably the best thing to do right now if you’re interested in the development.

We are excited about the planned change, to say the least.

― By Joseph Lumber
16-11-2013