Ultrafast fibre broadband for Royal Welsh Young Farmers
Young farmers at this year’s Royal Welsh can keep in touch at ultrafast speeds and keep up to date with what’s happening at the show, thanks to Superfast Cymru.
This year the Young People’s Village at the show has a fibre connection which gives those staying there access to faster wi-fi and allows organisers to run a more efficient online booking system.
Around 4,000 young people stay in the village every year with around 12,000 attending events and concerts in the arena there. They will now all be able to access fast wi-fi.
The ultrafast connection was made possible after Superfast Cymru delivered Fibre to the Premises ultrafast broadband to a neighbouring farm – bringing with it access to some of the fastest speeds available in the UK.
Nia Lloyd, head of Young Farmers Club in Wales said: “With over 4,000 young people staying with us and many more attending events a good internet connection is vital. For this year’s event we have a much stronger wi-fi signal, thanks to the new fibre connection, which I know will be welcomed by the young people.
“It’s also great for us as an organisation as it’s a boost for our online booking system, meaning we can access information quicker and provide a better service.”
Minister for Skills and Science Julie James said: “The Royal Welsh showground itself already benefits from superfast broadband, but this did not reach the Young People’s Village which is slightly further afield.
“The village is very popular with the young farmers community and is a vibrant and exciting place. It’s very good news that it’s now easier for them to use their devices, keep in touch and plan events.”
Superfast Cymru is a partnership between the Welsh Government, BT, European Regional Development Fund and UK Government. It brings superfast broadband to areas which would otherwise not receive it.
Over 647,000 premises in Wales can now access superfast broadband thanks to the programme.
The Royal Welsh showground itself has been able to access superfast broadband since 2014 when the cabinet was enabled by Superfast Cymru. 48,768 premises in Powys now have access as a result of the programme.
Ed Hunt, Superfast Cymru programme director for Openreach, said: “Providing ultrafast broadband speeds to the Young People’s village builds on what we’ve already done to improve connectivity on the Royal Welsh Showground.
"High speed access to the internet is an important part of everyday life and with this infrastructure now in place in time for the show young people staying at the village will be able to stay better connected.”