Colchester Garrison fibre roll out

On this page you will find all the information you need to know about the LiLAConnect roll out across Colchester Garrison.

In partnership with the DIO and Amey Defence Services, LiLAConnect will be undertaking works to install fibre optic cables to every Service Family Accommodation (SFA) across Colchester Garrison. The works within the garrison are the first of its kind on Crown estate and are leading the way in fibre connectivity for Armed Forces estates and establishments across the country.

what does this mean for you?

work commences 10th October 2022

This means that, with Full-On-Fibre installed, you have the option to subscribe to lightening fast broadband (see LiLAConnect for more information).

To install the fibre cables to every SFA, LilaConnect will dig across footpaths and, where necessary, driveways to connect homes to the main junction lines in the street. There may be an occasion where you are asked to move your car or have limited access to your driveway. You will be informed in advance of and can track the progress of the roll-out on this page.

Once works are completed in the public areas, you will be contacted again to arrange a time suitable for the installation team to enter your home to install the fibre socket to your internal wall, we need to do this for all SFA. This is similar to the BT telephone sockets you will find in your home and is the next step to receiving Full-On-Fibre.

You can find some frequently asked questions below as well as contact details should you need to contact us.

weekly updates

Here you'll be able to find out which area we are working in. An update will be made every Sunday to cover the following week.

week: 10th October 2022

Location

Information coming soon.

Impact

Information coming soon.

Information

Information coming soon.

frequently asked questions

  • The fibre will be installed from a connection point at the property boundary. If your home or business is located some distance from the street, the fibre is usually laid using narrow trenching unless on the rare occasion, other solutions are required. In all instances we will be installing a new duct and fibre cable with our SDD (Service Demarcation Device).

    The engineer will then fit the network equipment – SDD in your property – which is normally mounted on the inside of the wall facing the street (this would be ground floor level for a house). This is a fibre converter and will ensure your connectivity to the LilaConnect network.

    Once the LilaConnect SDD is connected, we will carry out a speed test.

  • Yes, or your representative, provided they are 18 years or older.

  • Yes, when your home is due to be connected you will receive two weeks’ advanced notice. If you cannot move your car at the scheduled time (should you have to) or allow access for the installation team, please don’t worry, contact customer services on 0800 955 6670 or email help@lilaconnect.co.uk and, where possible, works will be rearranged.

  • The installation will not cost SFA families. When the fibre cables are installed, all residents of the garrison will have the opportunity to connect to Full On 1 Gigabit Fibre. To find out more and about pricing please go to www.lilaconnect.co.uk.

  • Most of the network build activity will be in footpaths and verges. We use specialist trenching to rollout fibre in your area - wherever possible ducting will be laid using narrow trenching. The route will be carefully planned to reduce work on the roads. Where work on roads is needed, this will be carefully managed with the Council highways department to keep disruption to an absolute minimum. We will also send you a construction notice a few days before work is due to start in your street.

  • If you cannot move your car at the scheduled time (should you have to) or allow access for the installation team, please don’t worry, contact customer services on 0800 955 6670 or email help@lilaconnect.co.uk and, where possible, works will be rearranged.

  • LilaConnect’s on-site teams are highly capable and well trained, but if at any point you are not satisfied with the quality of the work or level of disruptions, please do speak to one of the Team Supervisors.

    Team Supervisors will provide updates as to how the works are progressing, additionally you may see signs around the estate with details of the rate of progress and contact details should you have any questions.

    If you still wish to talk to us contact Customer Services on 0800 955 6670 or email on help@lilaconnect.co.uk.

  • Fibre - or fibre optics is a technology for information transmission via flexible glass or plastic threads, slightly thicker than a strand of human hair. This technology allows data to travel at the speed of light and serves as a future-proof solution for internet connectivity as the speed and capacity of a fibre connection is almost unlimited.

    The term "fibre" is often misused. What is often branded as "fibre broadband" actually involves copper cable. This technology is known as "Fibre-to-the-Cabinet" (FTTC) but it relies on a final leg of copper wire, from the roadside cabinet into the customer premises. This causes a bottleneck, resulting in slow and lost connections especially at "peak times" of the day.

    "Fibre-to-the-Premises" (FTTP), also known as "Full Fibre", replaces the old copper wires with the latest technology in fibre optic cabling all the way to the actual premises, providing gigabit-capable connectivity and bandwidth. LilaConnect will always install Full Fibre/FTTP.

    Full fibre brings many benefits, from symmetrical speed, high bandwidth and greater capacity, to ultra-low latency, superior resilience and reliability.

We hope you are excited to be the first to receive Full-On-Fibre. If you would like to know more, you can visit LiLAConnect’s FAQ page. Alternatively, please email help@lilaconnect.co.uk and we will be happy to help.