Unreliable internet frustration for rural firms

More than a hundred complaints have been made about a broadband provider in rural parts of Shropshire and Powys.

Customers say they have had problems with their internet dropping out since their provider SWS Broadband was bought by Voneus.

Charles and Sylvia Ruxton said the inconsistent fixed wireless service affects their home and work life. They said the company was also slow to respond to complaints.

A spokesperson for Voneus said it appreciated the comments and would increase communication.

Mr Ruxton runs an environmental business from his home in Rowley near Westbury, but struggles with the internet dropping out "easily five times a day".

He said: "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 said the alternative was going "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]".

His wife Sylvia said problems started in the spring, eight months after Voneus bought the Shrewsbury-based company SWS Broadband.

She is in a community WhatsApp group, set up to share broadband issues.

The group's comments 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 said, "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 defines a decent connection speed as up to 10Mbps (megabits per second) for download and 1Mbps for upload.

Rowley resident William Edmondson said: "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."

Smallholder Leslie Venis from Priest Weston said: "The internet drops off while you're watching TV".

He added that his wife had had to drive to Manchester on occasion because she couldn't work from home.

The issue has been raised with Voneus by Heather Kidd, councillor for Chirbury & Worthen on Shropshire Council, and Danny Bebb who represents Churchstoke on Powys Council.

Kidd said she had logged more than 60 complaints, adding to 69 from neighbouring divisions.

She said the whole of Habberley was affected, along with Vennington, Brompton, Marton, Stoney Stretton, Montgomery, Stiperstones and Pennerley.

"We all need to have the good reliable service we pay for, that is mended quickly when things go wrong," she said.

"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 added.

Bebb added: "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 spokesperson for Voneus said, "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 won a £12m Project Gigabit contract, funded by the UK government, to deliver fast, reliable broadband to around 6,000 eligible homes on the Shropshire side of the border.

At the time, Shropshire Council said: "Thousands of homes and businesses in rural Shropshire will benefit."

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