A COMMUNITY effort has resulted in a village’s ‘snail-like’ internet connection being boosted to superfast broadband.

Villagers, who are used to having internet speeds of between a half and four megabits per second (mbps), now have a mast in Crai which will allow up to 70 residential and business buildings to have speeds of up to 30mbps.

It was in June last year that a group of Crai residents, including David Ross, Peter Barrow and Charles Weston, approached Powys County Council about possible funding.

After a few meetings, the group met Peter Williams from the Welsh Government who told them about the Access Broadband Cymru – a scheme which helps Welsh residents to fund alternative internet if they have poor connection.

The group were told that they would need three quotes as part of the application which led them to looking at Dyfed IT who later became their internet provider.

Dyfed IT, who beam the broadband across from the closest mast in Sennybridge, said they started to provide internet in order to reach places that have been poorly served by BT while avoiding the high costs of services such as satellite.

The Dyfed Superfast network, a rural broadband arm of Dyfed IT based in Camarthenshire, uses technology known as Fixed Wireless Access with a series of masts and low-power microwave transmitters.

Subscribers have a small dish receiver installed for free to connect to the network. Monthly tariffs for 30MBPS are £30 with reduced rates for slower speeds if subscribers do not need the full superfast service.

David Ross said: “We did look at other methods, like one that uses spare white space frequencies but we selected Dyfed IT in the end as it provided the best services to suit us.

“Currently we’re on satellite and we get half a megabit per second, maybe four at a push if it’s on a very good day. We’re not very happy with the current system. With Dyfed IT it costs about the same as it would with BT at around £30 per month, whereas we’re currently paying £71 per month and we’re limited with satellite to data we’ve already bought from our current company.”

David is retired however his wife runs a holiday business in the Brecon Beacons which is currently affected by the poor internet.

He said: “Obviously, when a lot of people go on holiday they want to go on social media and update people with pictures and to say they’re having a good time.”

Last Friday the mast was constructed by Dyfed Superfast with help from Access Broadband Cymru funding.

The construction was attended by local supporters as well as representatives from Dyfed IT, Powys County Council, the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, and the Welsh Government.

Farmer Keri Davies is one of the first Crai residents to be connected.

Also the owner of Crai Valley Eco-Lodges, Keri said: “Being able to get a superfast reliable internet connection will change the lives of the community.

“It will transform the service I offer my guests who will appreciate the option of free Wi-Fi when they book their next stay.”

With 25% of all the equipment installed following the construction of the mast, it is hoped the new internet service will be switched on during the first week of December.

Gareth Robinson, one of the directors from Dyfed Superfast, said: “We’re excited to start this new phase of the project in Crai. With support from the Welsh Government, we have built a resilient broadband network that meets the needs of this vibrant rural community.

“We chose Fixed Wireless Access as this allows us to provide unlimited data while fibre was too expensive and disruptive for a rural community. Satellite based options were evaluated, but this would have meant limited data and a high cost penalty for anyone going over their monthly limit.

“We hope to be able to extend high speed broadband across Wales, building on our expertise to reach places that have been poorly served by BT.“We’d like to extend our gratitude to Mr & Mrs Morley Jones for allowing us to erect the mast on their land and deliver high speed broadband throughout the village.”