To receive an update from Shasta Parveen, Service Lead for Infrastructure, on digital strategy in Windsor.

Shasta Parveen, Service Lead for Infrastructure and Digital Strategy, gave a presentation on the digital infrastructure in the Borough. She explained that the Borough was part of the Digital Infrastructure Group (DIG), a pan-Berkshire organisation whereby the local authorities in Berkshire (RBWM, Bracknell, Slough, Wokingham and West Berkshire) worked with the Local Enterprise Partnership to deliver and achieve improved digital connectivity to achieve a Connected Berkshire.

The reason that RBWM joined DIG were to:

·       Improve digital connectivity across the borough and support the broader corporate plan goals.

·       Provide opportunity for residents and businesses and look at emerging digital technology and then bring them to the Borough.

·       Have a uniformed approach to make it easier for infrastructure companies to work with the Borough.

The Borough recently had signed the Digital Adoption Strategy on 11^th July 2023 which outlined the goals that DIG sought to achieve, primarily to support economic development and business engagement. Shasta Parveen suggested that she could return to the Forum and give an update to the Digital Adoption Strategy.

The benefits of the Borough being part of DIG were:

·       Achieve broader and faster broadband coverage, ensuring that it was available for everybody.

·       Ensuring mobile coverage and enabling 5G roll out.

·       Enabling opportunities for emerging digital technology (e.g., internet of things, smart cities).

In terms of what was happening, the Digital Infrastructure Team were:

·       Engaging with multiple providers and facilitating the roll out of FTTP (fibre to the premises) in the Borough, which would include an infrastructure roll out of cables.

·       CityFibre had completed the roll out in Maidenhead and mobilisation would commence in Windsor early-2024. Shasta Parveen offered to provide more details in terms of the location of works when the information would become available.

·       Rolled out FTTP to 26 schools within RBWM, allowing them the choice to connect, and thus expanding more opportunities.

·       Engaging with multiple mobile network providers on the roll out of 5G mobile connectivity. Windsor would be one of the first areas in RBWM to have a small cell deployed.

The three main providers were:

•       Gigaclear:

o   5,594 premises were ready for service within the Borough.

•       Openreach:

o   Delivery was completed, 4,600 premises ready for service borough-wide.

•       CityFibre:

o   Have 6,125 properties borough wide ‘ready for service’.

o   350 connected customers on the borough network at present).

o   Run rate of around 20 connections/week.

They would ensure that the Borough would have live connections for local residents and businesses and therefore possess fast broadband speeds.

Regarding the timeframe in Windsor:

•       August 2023 – present

o   Virgin Media/O2 were working to upgrade telecoms cabinets, with a planned 864 cabinet upgrades borough-wide.

•       Early-2024

o   CityFibre to commence roll out of FTTP infrastructure in Windsor – detailed plans were pending.

Jon Davey, a resident, briefly asked if high-speed broadband was 10-to-20 times faster than normal broadband, to which Shasta Parveen confirmed. He then asked whether the new technologies would decrease the likelihood of latencies (delays) in wireless connection, for example, in the garden or certain parts of a house. Shasta Parveen replied that she could take this question away and provide a more accurate answer; but she believed that the FTTP was a stronger and faster signal.

Jon Davey then asked if the 5G small cell deployment would be applied at industrial sites and the Town Centre or across the board. Shasta Parveen replied that it was across the board. She added that the providers, working collaboratively with the Borough, were expressing their interest in certain locations where they would ideally like to deploy a 5G cell. From there, a process in which the Borough would assess whether the location was viable to deploy the cell, ensuring that it would be deployed correctly and safely.

Anil Singh stated that when he approached provider companies (such as Vodafone) on getting faster broadband connection on Park Street, he received unsatisfactory responses. He then requested for Park Street to be included in the work. Shasta Parveen responded that she had noted Park Street and would take the question away. She then stated that the providers were encouraging; and that there was a process where residents could submit questions regarding certain areas and postcodes, in which timely responses were sent.

Anil Singh added that a neighbour of his had followed the aforementioned process and had reached a dead end. This then led to some consideration for residents of Park Street to improve the connectivity privately, but it would cost thousands of pounds and therefore it was not ideal. He hoped that this issue would be resolved. Shasta Parveen reiterated that she would take this point away; adding that another Councillor had raised a point in relation to connectivity on Peascod Street and thus would investigate Park Street alongside Peascod Street.

The Chair highlighted that there had been connectivity issues in the Town Centre and mentioned that she would contact Shasta Parveen regarding a local business not acquiring internet. Shasta Parveen gave some feedback on Peascod Street, stating that it was being investigated with some engineers being deployed. She added that some messages may have been missed due to the holiday period. Nevertheless, she reiterated that she would investigate this.

John Reed, a resident, stated that he worked with the local business referenced by the Chair to get them access to the internet since December 2022 until August 2023. He stated that it was impossible for the business to get internet access (near the B Road, off Dedworth Road) apart from a 4G signal. He also briefly highlighted that there were other internet blind spots in Windsor. Shasta Parveen stated that she would take this away.

John Reed then highlighted that the people in rented properties were forced to take out 12–24-month leases with internet providers and often they were only on a six-or-12-month tenure, and they may be required to have an 18-month service with their service provider. He asked whether the Local Enterprise Partnership could do anything to encourage service providers to offer shorter-term contracts which do not cost a fortune. Shasta Parveen said that she would take this away and investigate.

John Reed commented that he believed that it would help people in rented properties   because they would not need to then be in long-term contracts with fixed service providers.

Chris Joyce raised that one objective in which DIG was working on was more affordable tariffs that could come forward, particularly for residents on low incomes; adding that one of the benefits of the Berkshire local authorities working together under DIG was that they had more clout in those discussions with operators. He suggested that this was a point which could be taken into discussions amongst the other local authorities under DIG, stating that it would be a useful to have a collective engagement with the companies on how a product could be developed which worked well for renters.

Elliot Howells, a resident, commented that there were two issues. Alongside the issue of installing fast broadband in homes, he stated that there was a broader issue of signal capacity, in contrast to signal speed and strength. He asked if there was any work being done to address this. Elliot Howells then highlighted that signal blockers around Windsor Castle (likely for security reasons) were often blamed by local businesses. Shasta Parveen replied that she would take these points away.

Frankie Theobald, a resident, asked how DIG determined which areas should be prioritised for the roll out of FTTP, or who determined the program. Shasta Parveen replied that the decisions came from the providers rather than DIG. Nevertheless, the Borough would find out when works were happening through DIG and step in when necessary and support the facilitation process, such as setting community drop-in sessions for CityFibre. While she did not have the information on which streets in Windsor were being rolled out and when, she stated that once received, she could forward the information.

Councillor A. Tisi asked whether the roll out of FFTTP would predominantly be focused on the Town Centre or would encompass the wider town of Windsor. She then stated that the area between Eton and Eton Wick was a rural area which had poor internet connectivity, and asked whether the roll out in this area could be chased up. Shasta Parveen replied that she would take these points away. She confirmed that the roll out would encompass the wider Windsor area and that she had a location map of where it covered. In regard to Eton, she stated that there were pockets of poor internet connection which were being investigated and improve the connectivity.

Gareth Jones, a resident, asked whether there would be any disruptions during the roll out of FTTP, such as roadworks. Shasta Parveen replied that there would be some disruption. However, this would be well communicated with the Digital Infrastructure Team working closely with the providers to ensure that this would be minimised. She cited that CityFibre had communicated well with residents and business when doing works in Maidenhead.

ACTION: Shasta Parveen to forward answers to the following queries on:

•       Whether the new technologies would decrease the likelihood of latencies (delays) in wireless connection, for example, in the garden or certain parts of a house.

•       Investigate any works on improving broadband connectivity on Park Street and Peascod Street as part of the Digital Adoption Strategy.

•       Internet access for a local business near the B Road off Dedworth Road.

•       Whether the Local Enterprise Partnership could anything to encourage service providers to offer shorter-term contracts in regard contracts in rental properties which do not cost a fortune.

•       Whether there was any work being done to address the issue of internet capacity and whether signal blockers around Windsor Castle played a role in this.

•       Which streets in Windsor would be prioritised for the roll out of FTTP and when this would happen.

•       What areas of Windsor would the roll out of FTTP be implemented, whether the Town Centre or wider Windsor, and including the rural areas of Eton and Eton Wick.