Is B4RN worth the wait?

 Yes, and here’s why…

Sources: please see table below

You may have seen a lot of OpenReach activity in nearby villages, such as Staveley, Burneside and also in Kendal. 

If you, like us volunteers, were wondering why these light blue road work barriers are popping up across the area, it is sub-contractors connecting properties to the BT/Openreach Fibre network. While this is great progress for rural counties like Cumbria, it comes with two stinging realities!

  1. More rural properties, which is about 90% of the Crook area, will be left out of this connection upgrade due to it being seen as non-commercially viable
  2. The service costs for faster internet and unlimited data are disproportionately more expensive

I am one of the lucky residents of Crook whose property has access to Openreach fibre brought into Crag along the telephone line. 

With download/upload speeds of 137/27Mbps this makes home working, Smart TV possible, persuaded me to sign up to Netflix and has satisfied visiting family and friends - especially the under 30s! And Yes, I am going to switch to B4RN, here’s why…

Likely, my internet needs will continue to grow and B4RN is currently the only provider of gigabyte fibre to Crook’s homes and businesses… offering:

1. Fastest and largest volume
Unlimited data allowance at speeds of 1,000 Mpbs download and 1,000 Mbps upload.

2. Lowest long term price (£33.00 per month)
For unlimited data and protection from price hikes (unlike its competitors B4RN is a community profit system that benefits the local residents)

3. Storm resistant design
B4RN's fibre is all safely underground and does not hang cables off masts and isn't affected by the weather, unlike other providers.

I like that B4RN fibre will be in ducts in the ground - remember storm Arwen… we were without phone and internet for over a month. 

To help you become aware of the actual differences we have created the below comparison of the Broadband services currently available in the area, as of 01 Aug 2022. 

For most of the 420+ properties in the Crook Project fast fibre service is not available as either there is no fibre to connect to or no mobile signal.


Comparing BT, Mobile Data Sims, Local providers & B4RN

Supplier

Package
Price / mth
Download (Mbps)
Upload (Mbps)
Data allowance
Set up cost
BT
Broadband
£27.99
7
1
Unlimited
Free
BT
Fibre Essential with phone 
(if available)
£31.99
32
9
Unlimited
Free
BT
Fibre 1 
(if available)
£32.99
50
9
Unlimited
Free
EE
(requires mobile signal)
5GEE Router 2021
£45
30
9
500 GB
£50
EE
(requires mobile signal)
5GEE Router 2021
£50
30
9
Unlimited
£50
Kencomp
Light package
£20.99
10
?
6 GB
£350
Kencomp
Premium package
£65.99
50
?
100 GB
£350
Available in the next 12 to 24 months
B4RN
Standard Home Package
£33
1,000
1,000
Unlimited
Free

Please note these figures and prices were correct as of 18 July 2022 from the below websites:
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