Engineers camp out as Pettinain broadband speeds plummeted faster than the temperature

Openreach engineers spent four chilly nights under the stars to solve a broadband puzzle for residents of Pettinain.
Openreach engineers David Bennet and Stewart Williamson  in PettinainOpenreach engineers David Bennet and Stewart Williamson  in Pettinain
Openreach engineers David Bennet and Stewart Williamson in Pettinain

A specialist team from the Chief Engineer’s investigations unit was drafted in following complaints some residents had seen their download speeds drop from around 7Mbps to less than 0.5Mbps.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions and the fact one engineer’s vulnerable wife was shielding, the Openreach investigators set up tents at Abington’s Mount View Caravan Park instead of staying in a hotel.

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Jim Vince, chief engineer for the project, said: “People in Pettinain had become increasingly frustrated by exceptionally slow broadband speeds, and we were determined to get to the bottom of it.

“We carried out a full network health check on the village and found several factors had caused the speeds to plummet – including the distance of some properties from broadband equipment, much greater demands on a 20-year-old link, and interference from a high-voltage power line.

“Rather than just restore the service to what they’d had before, we set about finding a way to provide the worst affected households with superfast broadband speeds.

“And as the answer meant significant network reconfigurations, we camped out for four nights to get the work done. It was very cold but worth it to see the impact our efforts had on the community.”

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In the end the engineers were able to include around 30 properties in the upgrade, who now enjoy the same speed as the rest of the village.

Fin Stuart, chairman of Pettinain Community Council, said: “Everyone was struggling to do anything online due to the chronically slow speeds we were experiencing, and the Openreach team were welcomed with open arms when they arrived in the village.

“We have only the faintest knowledge of how complicated the job has been, but we now have superfast speeds of 35Mbps or more and it has completely changed life for the better.

“As well as upgrading the network, the team fixed small issues for several residents to get speeds up, and did it all with a smile. Everyone in the village has commented on the quality of service.”

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