Rural Residents and Businesses Express Frustration Over Unreliable Internet Service

A broadband provider operating in rural areas of Shropshire and Powys has received over one hundred complaints. Subscribers report experiencing internet disconnections since SWS Broadband, their previous provider, was acquired by Voneus. Charles and Sylvia Ruxton stated that the erratic fixed wireless service impacts both their personal and professional lives, adding that the company’s response to grievances was tardy. A Voneus spokesperson indicated an appreciation for the feedback and committed to enhancing communication. Mr. Ruxton, who operates an environmental business from his residence in Rowley near Westbury, contends with internet outages occurring “easily five times a day”. He remarked: “I’ve wasted hours of time repeating bank transactions or data work for the business. “It also interrupts phone calls, Zoom calls and Teams calls. It can be very frustrating.” Mr. Ruxton noted that other options included reverting “back to copper wires, which was utterly frustrating, use your mobile phone signal, which is pretty poor round here, or pay £75 a month to Elon Musk [for Starlink]”. Sylvia, his wife, reported that issues began in the spring, eight months subsequent to Voneus’s acquisition of the Shrewsbury-based firm SWS Broadband. She participates in a community WhatsApp group established to discuss broadband difficulties. Remarks from the group include: “They never ring you back or do anything they promised”, “I can’t depend on it for my work or business” and “inconsistent and inconvenient”. Sylvia stated, “Someone sent screenshots of the download and upload speeds.”One time it was 0.29 [Mbps] upload and 0.16 download, and this is supposed to be a fast service that we’ve paid for”. The UK government considers a satisfactory connection speed to be up to 10Mbps (megabits per second) for download and 1Mbps for upload. William Edmondson, a resident of Rowley, commented: “It’s a pain in the butt… the browser gives you the endless circle of doom and then says server not responding… it’s very irksome.” Leslie Venis, a smallholder residing in Priest Weston, observed: “The internet drops off while you’re watching TV”. He further mentioned that his wife sometimes had to travel to Manchester due to her inability to work remotely. Heather Kidd, a councillor for Chirbury & Worthen on Shropshire Council, and Danny Bebb, who represents Churchstoke on Powys Council, have brought the matter to Voneus’s attention. Councillor Kidd reported documenting over 60 complaints, in addition to 69 from adjacent divisions. She indicated that Habberley entirely, alongside Vennington, Brompton, Marton, Stoney Stretton, Montgomery, Stiperstones, and Pennerley, were impacted. “We all need to have the good reliable service we pay for, that is mended quickly when things go wrong,” she asserted. “It is a worry for the elderly and infirm, and the fact that they can’t easily get hold of a doctor or emergency services,” Ms Kidd further stated. Bebb further commented: “Working from home is now an essential not a “nice to have”. Even watching TV is now something most expect to be able to do online. Some people also have their main phone line on VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).” A Voneus spokesperson declared, “We appreciate the comments and concerns raised by councillor Kidd and councillor Bebb. We will increase community communication whilst we complete a number of fibre network builds and network upgrades across Shropshire and Powys.” In April, Voneus secured a £12m Project Gigabit contract, financed by the UK government, aimed at providing rapid, dependable broadband to approximately 6,000 qualifying residences on the Shropshire side of the boundary. Shropshire Council remarked at the time: “Thousands of homes and businesses in rural Shropshire will benefit.” Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.