Airband celebrates 1000th customer on Devon national parks network

Connecting Devon and Somerset and Airband have announced the 1000th customer on Airband’s award-winning network across Exmoor and Dartmoor national parks. 

Claire and Ed Hitch, who farm Devon Red Ruby pedigree beef cattle at their farm in Exmoor National Park, near Whatchet, are Airband’s 1000th customers on the moors. They have been gifted an impressive six months free internet service in honour of this milestone.

Claire Hitch said: “When we took over the farm in September this year, the previous tenants told us we should choose an Airband service, and we’re glad we did - it has worked really well for us, and it’s so important for us to be able to have good internet access.

“We use the internet for everything from cattle passports to purchasing farm equipment to basic emailing,” she said.

The Hitches broadband connection enables them to use large 360-degree CCTV cameras in the barns for their horses and their cows - which connect to a screen in the farm kitchen and to their mobile phones. "It helps give us peace of mind," explains Claire.  

Airband’s three-year superfast broadband network across the famous national parks was officially completed in 2018, delivering connectivity to superfast broadband for over 6,000 premises. 

Airband project manager, Martin Hewlett, said he was delighted to be able to celebrate this significant milestone. 

“Bringing better connectivity to this beautiful and remote area has been both exhilarating and challenging,” he said. “It has only been possible thanks to the commitment and dedication of our planning and project teams and our engineers on the ground. And crucially we were helped by support from CDS and both national park authorities - who had the vision to help us make this network a reality.”

“One of the greatest challenges of the project was balancing the need to deliver broadband access with the need to protect the environment of the National Parks.”

Deputy Chairman of Exmoor National Park, Cllr Andrea Davis, said: “Delivering better connectivity for national parks and other protected areas, an integrated approach is vital. 

“Adequate, sustainable broadband for the 58,000 homes and businesses has been an ambition for both Exmoor and Dartmoor National Parks, we recognise that for our communities and businesses to flourish, broadband is an essential requirement and we also have a responsibility to guard the park as a protected natural resource.

“It has been a pleasure to work in partnership with Airband to make network infrastructure as sympathetic as possible to the environment,” she said. 

Mr Hewlett pointed out that protecting the national parks had generated some innovative responses from Airband.  

“Working on this project has helped us pioneer innovations in rural broadband, both in terms of how we build the network and in smaller details such as including bespoke bracketry and camouflaging radios to blend in with the background,” he explained. 

Over the course of the three-year build of the network, Airband’s community engagement has included free connection of village halls and churches.

Innovative renewable energy applications were used to power parts of Airband’s network infrastructure where access to a standard electricity supply was not available, including photovoltaic (solar) panels and onshore wind turbines.

To find out if you’re in Airband’s current or planned coverage area, please enter your postcode at: https://home.airband.co.uk/coverage/ or Airband on call 01905 676121 during office hours.