Welsh community with longest place name joins broadband fast lane

A community famous for having the longest place name in the country will soon be able to access some of the fastest broadband speeds in Europe.

Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogoch on Anglesey in North Wales – often known as Llanfair PG- is benefiting from a partnership between local residents and Openreach

Residents will be able to take advantage of speeds of up to one gigabit per second using Openreach’s “full fibre” network where fibre is run directly from the exchange to properties.

The improved fibre broadband infrastructure is being enabled by an Openreach programme designed to help people living and working in rural communities that are not included in any current roll-out plans.

Openreach said that, as befits providing ultrafast broadband to an area with such a long name, the latest community partnership is the largest of its kind in Wales with around 1,360 properties expected to be upgraded.

Openreach engineers will start work on installing a total of around 85km of fibre cable overhead and underground from the telephone exchange in Bangor to the residents of Llanfair PG.

Jamie Edwards, Openreach rural engagement manager, said: “We all know how essential it is for homes and businesses up and down the country to have fast, reliable broadband. From running a business to home schooling and shopping – so much is done online.

“While more than 95% of premises in Wales can already access superfast broadband, we know there is more to do to reach those final premises.

“A small number of communities, like Llanfair PG, are missing out on good broadband connectivity. Our Community Fibre Partnership helps bring ultrafast connections to those areas to bridge this gap.”