Started in 2010 by James Gibson Fleming as a way to bring a better internet to his farm in Dorset, England, Wessex Internet is now building a full fibre network that connects and serves even the most remote countryside communities.
From Cranborne Chase to the Dorset coastline, and out to rural South Somerset, Wessex is proud to offer their customers broadband the way it should be – fast, reliable and affordable.
We sat down with Joe Welch, a Fibre Network Architect for Wessex and asked him five questions about their journey.
Five Questions with Wessex Internet
1. Tell us how you got into the business of fibre internet.
Wessex Internet was founded in 2010 when our founder was looking at ways to get a better internet connection to his farm in Dorset, South West England. He built a wireless link and started to connect friends and neighbours too. At first we were wireless ISP, but since 2018 we have focussed on full fibre and are passionate about connecting the countryside to ultrafast broadband.
2. Tell us about what’s going on with Wessex — any news, milestones, achievements – or what’s coming up next!
It’s an exciting time at Wessex Internet. In the last 12 months we have been awarded two contracts under Project Gigabit, the UK government’s flagship programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access gigabit-capable broadband. Under these contracts we will be delivering full fibre broadband to 17,000 homes and businesses in North Dorset and the New Forest, a national park in the south of England. Plus, we have just been awarded Best Rural Provider and Fibre Provider of the Year at the UK Fibre Awards.
3. What plans/projects did you have in motion when you started shopping for fibre management software?
We were rapidly expanding and needed a system which could keep up with it. At this point were also starting to build in more urban areas alongside our more traditional rural targets so having a platform which was suited for this type of design but also flexible enough to encompass our rural side was crucial.
4. Why did you choose VETRO?
As we grew, we needed a single platform to produce more detailed and slicker fibre designs. In our early years we had got by using a mixture of Google Earth, QGIS and Excel to create our route plans and splice matrixes but as we took on more and more projects we needed something that would allow us to be more efficient in our designs. We looked at a few different options but in the end VETRO’s simple interface, splicing functions and general ease of use made it an easy choice!
"We looked at a few different options but in the end VETRO's simple interface, splicing functions and general ease of use made it an easy choice!"
5. How do you use VETRO FiberMap? or What’s your favourite feature of VETRO FiberMap?
Our design team uses VETRO everyday to produce detailed fibre designs ready to hand over to our construction teams. The routes, cables, installation methods and splice matrixes are all produced in VETRO. My favourite features of VETRO are the Splice Diagram and Fibre Manager Tools. The splice diagram really helps to visualise all the different fibre connections and I find the Fibre Manager Tool particularly useful when working out fibre distances for core routes or locating potential faults.
About VETRO, Inc.
VETRO builds software that makes it radically simpler and faster for broadband providers to plan, design, deploy, and operate their fiber optic networks. Our map-based SaaS platform is easier to use and more powerful than traditional tools, and enables network owners, operators and sponsors to benefit from a modern, integrated, and connected digital hub for their physical network assets.
