A Day In The Life Of A Truespeed Network Access Officer

Our network access officer, Sam has talked us through everything she does to prepare for installation.
February 4, 2021
News

Nestled between the excitement of securing your new ultrafast broadband and connecting the network, is a vital team; The Network Access Team. They are a crucial part of getting you connected, the unsung heroes of Truespeed.

Whilst our engagement team are getting customers ready for connection, our engineering team are preparing to build. Hidden away among all that is our network access team, they are busy making sure we have all the access needed to complete the network.

We aim to use existing poles and underground ducted routes wherever possible. This will minimise disruption in your area. It also makes installing the full fibre network much faster, meaning we can get you connected to your ultrafast broadband sooner.

We have agreements with the power pole and telegraph pole operators. This allows us to access and install the pole or duct itself. Often, a pole or duct sits within private land, in these cases, we need to arrange access with the private landowner. This is where our network access team come in. Their job is to figure out who owns the land. Once they’ve done that, they need to contact them to arrange an access agreement.

You may see our network access team in your area preparing for installation. They will be finding the location of the poles, ducts and chambers. As well as meeting with landowners to get everything ready for your connection. We are focused on getting rural areas connected to ultrafast broadband so they can enjoy buffer free streaming just like those living in urban areas. This means it’s essential we speak with the owners of the land we are hoping to cross in order to connect the many people who are in need of our full-fibre broadband.

If you have a roadside pole in the corner of your garden or a field with several poles, you may get a call from our team. It might be a crucial pole we need to get your area connected. You may know of a pole on your land that we could use. If you do, send an email to networkaccess@truespeed.com. Don’t forget to include your address so we know where you’re from. Don’t worry, granting us access to your land doesn’t mean you have to use us as your provider but we’d love to have you on board.

If there is any reason why you don’t want to allow access, we want to know, we might be able to help. Lots of people worry that our team might trample on the garden, or worry because they have cattle in the field. In some cases, they are planning on getting the pole removed. We can avoid or work around many of these concerns. All we want is to get everyone connected to ultrafast broadband, including you!

In rare cases, even our Network Access Team cannot work their magic. Meaning we can’t get access to a crucial location in our network. If this happens, it can cause delays in getting everyone connected. We have to re-plan and approach other landowners in the area to proceed with the installation.

It can be frustrating for customers to hear there’s been a delay in their install due to private land access. But rest assured, our team will already be working out an alternative route to get you connected to ultrafast speeds as soon as we can.

Each community we connect is different. Some have the existing infrastructure we can use and others don’t. Wherever possible we do try and get the most out of the existing poles and ducts the area has. Yet, sometimes we do need to add to the infrastructure to complete our network.

We try to keep the new routes as unnoticeable as possible. We often meet with landowners to talk though alternatives, as they know the local area more than us. Usually, they come up with great ideas that help us build the network faster. Helping us get everyone connected.