WORK has begun on a major project that is set to bring better broadband connections to households in Abergavenny, as part of a network boost for more than 150,000 homes in south Wales.

Wales’ fastest growing broadband company has announced the start of work to bring full fibre networks to these homes.

And the firm, dubbed one of the ‘21 great welsh firms to watch in 2021’, has also revealed a major rebrand, from Spectrum Internet to ‘Ogi’, to mark its future commitment to Wales, and its role in bringing people together digitally.

The work has begun in Abergavenny, and in Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire, and St Athan and Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan.

It is the beginning of a major digital infrastructure build for Wales, and the company’s most significant milestone since it secured investment from Infracapital, one of Europe’s leading infrastructure investors, last autumn.

That has enabled the rolling out of a £200 million plan to transform the Welsh broadband market and experience and users.

READ MORE:

“It’s great to see this build get underway and for Ogi to start on their journey across south Wales” said Lee Waters MS, the Welsh Govenrment's deputy minister for climate change.

“The scheme will contribute to our ability to deliver our ambitious Digital Strategy for Wales, and will help support Wales' post-Covid recovery.”

Full fibre broadband is much faster, more reliable, and more sustainable than traditional services, and Ogi will target under-served areas, accelerating the pace of full fibre roll-out across south Wales, helping transform the digital landscape for future generations.

The company’s new brand name, Ogi, has been chosen to reflect the company’s Welsh roots and its ambition to be part of the grass roots movement of communities and businesses actively building back better.

“We wanted to celebrate our Welsh focus with a positive and engaging brand,” said Ogi chief executive Ben Allwright.

“In Wales, when someone shouts ‘Ogi!’ it’s impossible not to smile, or respond. That’s why we chose Ogi as our name: it’s about connecting people to one another, which is exactly what we do, digitally.”

The company is creating more than 140 jobs in Wales, with services designed and supported locally, and aims to double that in the next few years.