The Business Park Full Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) Project is a major step forward in bringing gigabit-capable broadband to business parks across Ceredigion and Powys. The project will deliver fast, reliable and future-proof full-fibre broadband to business parks that currently lack access to gigabit-capable connectivity. This investment will help local businesses grow, improve productivity and remain competitive in an increasingly digital economy.

The project forms part of the Growing Mid Wales Digital Programme and the wider Mid Wales Growth Deal – a £110m investment from the UK and Welsh Governments – to support economic growth across the region.

Crucially, the project focuses on business park properties that are not included in existing commercial broadband rollouts or other publicly funded programmes. This ensures the investment delivers clear added value by focusing on sites that would otherwise miss out on high-quality broadband. Full-fibre connectivity will be delivered to key employment sites across Ceredigion and Powys.

Beyond the identified business parks, the network build will also enable additional nearby homes and businesses to upgrade to full fibre as the network is extended through the area. This will further expand access to gigabit-capable broadband and maximise the wider benefits of the investment across the region.

Under the contract, BT will design and build a full-fibre network capable of supporting download speeds of up to 1 Gbps, with the flexibility to meet future demand. The network will be open access, meaning businesses will not be tied to a single provider and can choose broadband services of their choice from a range of Internet Service Providers, helping to promote choice, competition and value for money.

Councillor Bryan Davies, Leader of Ceredigion County Council, and Councillor Jake Berriman, Leader of Powys County Council, Co-Chairs of the Growing Mid Wales Board, said: “This project demonstrates the momentum already building across the Mid Wales Growth Deal, with investment translating into delivery on the ground. It is a major step forward for Mid Wales. Ensuring our business parks have access to gigabit-capable full fibre will strengthen the foundations for regional growth, improve competitiveness, and support businesses to adopt modern digital tools and services. Importantly, this project targets premises that were not in the scope of existing commercial or publicly funded programmes, ensuring the benefits of full fibre reach more of our communities and employment sites."

The Business Park FTTP Project forms part of the wider Growing Mid Wales vision to address connectivity challenges and unlock the economic benefits of digital infrastructure investment, supporting inclusive growth and long-term resilience across Mid Wales.

Susi Marston, Head of Public Sector Wales at BT, said: “Reliable, high-quality broadband makes a real difference to how people run their businesses every day, giving them the connectivity they need to innovate and grow. This programme means more people and places can benefit from fast, dependable digital access, helping them thrive in an increasingly digital future. Wales is a key location for BT and plays a vital role in powering the UK’s economy, so investing in the digital infrastructure which will power its businesses for years to come really matters to us.”

As part of the contract, BT will also deliver digital skills support for small and medium-sized businesses across Mid Wales. This will include a virtual programme led by industry experts, offering practical workshops, tools and tailored guidance to help businesses build digital capability and improve productivity. Targeted promotional activity will ensure businesses across the region are aware of and able to take part in the programme.

Network rollout has commenced, with businesses encouraged to sign up to the Growing Mid Wales newsletter for further updates as the project progresses: https://www.growingmid.wales/Newsletters

Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, Adam Price, said: “We welcome the rollout of full-fibre broadband to business parks across Mid Wales. Gigabit-capable connectivity will help local firms grow, innovate and compete on a level playing field. Support of £55m has been made available from the previous Welsh Government to the Mid Wales Growth Deal. As a newly elected government, we will work with partners to drive long term prosperity for the region and beyond by building stronger Welsh businesses, creating sustainable high-quality jobs, and connecting people and opportunities.”

Wales Office Minister Anna McMorrin said: "The UK Government’s investment in the Mid Wales Growth Deal is bringing about real change for businesses and people across the region, driving forward our commitment to growing the Welsh economy and creating jobs in every part of Wales. The rollout of superfast broadband will enable businesses in Ceredigion and Powys to work more efficiently and reach more customers, while also boosting connectivity for local people."

The announcement builds on BT’s strong presence across Wales, with the company employing more than 4,500 people across the nation and providing a £680 million boost to the Welsh economy.

Notes to Editors

The Mid Wales Growth Deal, set within the broader vision for Growing Mid Wales, is a long-term investment providing capital funding to support regionally significant economic infrastructure that drives private sector investment and stimulates growth. Supported by a combined commitment of £110m from UK and Welsh Governments to leverage further public and private investment, the Growth Deal aims to create long term jobs and increase productivity, playing a key role in catalysing economic opportunities and growth across the region. 

The lab is the first dedicated telecoms civil engineering robotics test facility in the UK, designed to help BT engage with the university sector and robotics startups as they develop robotic solutions to challenging civil engineering tasks. This includes addressing problems such as how to clear out blocked ducts, mend collapsed ducts and install new fibre network infrastructure without incurring the cost and delays that come with digging up roads and pavements.

New robotic locomotion and excavation techniques inspired by digging and burrowing mammals and insects, coupled with the latest technologies developed for space exploration, aerospace and medical applications are showing real promise for delivering so-called ‘trenchless’ infrastructure deployment. Magnetic, climbing and cable-traversing robotic techniques are also maturing, enabling proof-of-concept trials on wireless tower and overhead cable poles.

It is expected that the test lab will play an important role in supporting BT’s fibre programme, as well as facilitating collaboration with other utilities such as power and water companies as they roll out and update their underground and overhead networks.

The site is a unique indoor facility that will enable research teams to trial the latest innovations in robotics within a variety of test zones. The facility emulates three different types of environments in which testing can be carried out:

• Underground environment: The facility includes several test beds that can be filled with different soil and aggregate types to replicate the terrain that creates challenges for laying ducts and fibre across the country. The compaction, moisture content and stone content can all be controlled within these environments to test the ability of robots to dig pathways for ducts or direct-in-ground fibre. The test beds will also provide demanding environments for fibre sensing and robotics steering tests.

• In-duct environments: Pipe stands are used at the facility to construct duct runs, using specially manufactured transparent versions of BT ducts. This enables replication of the scenarios whereby a duct collapses or becomes blocked with silt build up.

• Overhead environments: The facility holds a full height telegraph pole, with platform access to allow different pole-top fixtures to be fitted. This creates opportunities to test robots that can lift tools, equipment or cable to the top of a pole. Cables can be run to another pole to provide a single 35m span for development of cable-car-like devices for pulling in new cables or dealing with tree canopies that could damage an existing cable. A series of shorter posts provides a ‘pole-transit’ testbed for developing other cable-travelling devices.

Professor Tim Whitley, BT’s MD of Research, said: “The UK is a hotbed of civil engineering innovation, with a thriving university ecosystem and an enviable robotics startup sector. Our aim is to bring those players together in a dedicated facility to develop solutions that make the UK a world leader in telecoms civil engineering robotics. The lab will provide a hub for the creation of solutions to real world challenges and pioneering applications of robots, reinforcing the UK’s position at the heart of research and innovation into advanced technologies.”

Openreach will start its ramp up to 4m premises a year with immediate effect. BT has the capacity to fund this additional build entirely from internal resources while continuing to stand by its other priorities, including investing in 5G and its modernisation programme, committing to a minimum credit rating of BBB flat, supporting the BT Pension Scheme and reinstating its dividend in the current financial year at 7.7 pence per share.

BT believes it could deliver further shareholder value by funding the additional 5m premises through a joint venture with external parties and will explore joint venture structures over the first half of the current financial year.

Commenting on this additional FTTP build, Philip Jansen, Chief Executive, BT Group said: “BT is already building more full fibre broadband to homes and businesses than anyone else in the UK. Today we are increasing our FTTP target from 20 million to 25 million homes and businesses to deliver further value to our shareholders and support the Government’s full fibre ambitions.

“This has three massive benefits: it allows us to go faster, beefing up our capacity to build fibre to households and businesses; it allows us to go further, getting fibre to more people including in rural communities, and; it will help fuel UK economic recovery, with better connectivity and up to 7,000 new jobs.”