4Chronicle, T h u r s d a y,January 24,2013 SCH-EO1-S2 w w w. thisiskent.co.uk Village landlord finally finds tenants after improving broadband Two ways to The Whippet that wins speed your connection THERE are two campaigns to improve broadband services in the inter net access race villages. Call Flow Solutions, based in By Doug Kempster East Peckham, is planning to re p o r t e r s @ s e v e n o a k s - c h ro n i c l e . c o . u k extend its Whippet service to UP TO SPEED: Joyce and David most of , Ightham Lifton now have broadband THEY are the standard questions Common, Plaxtol, Ivy Hatch prospective buyers throw at estate and parts of Seal and ‘Service has agents every day –is the property Sevenoaks not currently close to shops, schools, public re a c h e d . transport? Does it have central It has deployed transmitters let us book heating or a garage? on the nearby Vodafone mast But, increasingly, broadband that can now offer a fast our holiday’ coverage is being added to the wireless broadband service to “m u s t - h ave s ”for would-be residents within a 11km radius. DAV I D Lifton, 73, and wife, homeowners or tenants. To sign up, users will need a Joyce, 76, live in Park Gate Road, The lack of decent rural broad- radio receiver, typically . band has become more than just a mounted next to a TV aerial by Mr Lifton said: “Unfor tunately, bar to 21st century communic- dongle that uses the mobile net- one of Call Flow’s installers. until now, there’s been a dead ations for some Sevenoaks com- work, but the most I could manage Call Flow charges between zone between munities; it can damage their was half a meg download. £8.99 and £22.99 a month for and . We tried to get property prices. “It could take half an hour to get its service. broadband six months ago but Boosts a web page up. Internet company Gigaclear, the phone company, although it “And the problem with renting which is only available to rural promised a lot, provided little. For the residents of Well Hill, is that my prospective tenants areas, also hopes to install Even its engineers didn’t know near Shoreham, that risk has now we re n’t interested in anything fibre optic cables to houses in this area’s reputation –they been lifted following the intro- less than an 8mb download.” remote locations throughout spent two weeks trying to duction of a communications sys- His salvation came in the form the area. provide a service before tem known as Whippet Internet. of Whippet Internet, a The company requires 190 admitting defeat. This boosts rural broadband County Council-backed service residents or businesses to sign “We ’re on the old using wireless technology. which uses transmitters attached up to the £39-a-month exchange and ours are the last For Mark Homans, 49, who was to a nearby Vodafone mobile scheme, and so far more than places on the line, so signals are trying to rent out his house in the BOOST: A new service backed by KCC has transformed broadband phone mast to boost the broad- 150 have committed to it. very weak. shadow of Lullingstone Park Golf access in a ‘not spot’ band signal. Gigaclear will be giving a “We heard about the Call Flow Course, its arrival is not a The service has proved so suc- presentation at the Underriver service through word of mouth; moment too soon. etc. But the minute prospective It is at the end of the line of its cessful that Andy Conibere, man- Village Hall on Saturday to it’s been great. We’re not heavy “I bought my house to live in tenants realised it didn’t have local telephone exchange, so the aging director of Call Flow attract more residents to sign users –more casual and social. but, because of a changing eco- broadband, they lost interest. distance a broadband data signal Solutions, the company behind up for the specialised super- “We ’re both retired and like to nomic situation, I had to look at “The problem is, we take the has to travel, combined with the Whippet Internet, says he is look- fast home broadband. travel. But without broadband, renting it out,”he said. internet for granted these days – a re a ’s ageing cables, has meant ing to roll it out to Ightham, The presentations, to be held even getting holiday info is “The fact that my place didn’t it’s just there. that internet access has been Ightham Common, Plaxtol, Ivy at both 10.30am and 1.30pm, increasingly difficult. The cruise have broadband wasn’t a problem “So people assume they’ll have severely restricted. Hatch, Seal and Sevenoaks. are open to anyone in companies, in particular, insist for me, and my previous tenants access when they’re looking at Mr Homans said: “Not only are “Rural areas are crying out for Underriver, Seal, Godden on doing things on the internet. we re n’t concerned. But when properties to buy or rent. They we a long way from the exchange, this type of solution,”he said. Green, Bitchet Green, Stone It used to make us a bit angry they moved out it became a real expect it as standard.” but the telephone cables are old Mr Homans agrees. Street, Ivy Hatch, , when they assumed everyone i s s u e. Well Hill lies in an area dubbed and not up to the job of delivering He said: “Now my property has Plaxtol, Dunks Green and had access. Often, we would just “The house ticked all the right a“broadband not spot”by res- quality broadband. proper broadband coverage and I Ightham. give in. That’s all changed now.” boxes, a great location, mod cons i d e n t s. “I called Sky in, I also tried a have a new tenant.”

Inspiring Wedding Exhibitions where A series of Wedding Shows in Kent in partnership with ‘We can now do you can fi nd all you need to makema your Wedding Day truly special everything from FREE ENTRY online banking 6ISIT 4HE 7EDDING %XPERIENCE AT to catch-up TV’ The Kent David Rae, 65, of Park companies had better Gate Road, Well Hill things to spend our said: “The BT engineer money on than getting who came out to see us us broadband. Showground managed to find a “County councillor minute signal at our Roger Gough and the guttering where the late Sevenoaks phone line enters the councillor Colin Detling house, but the signal Dibsdall did c o u l d n’t make it inside. outstanding work on “We ’ve had to make our behalf and we got a ME14 3JF do with a dongle dial-up capital grant from the using the mobile county council to install 3UNDAY TH *ANUARY network for years, but it b ro a d b a n d . only ever really gave us Te n d e r s Open 10.30am – 3.30pm WIRELESS: David Rae says his broadband 9 8 k b. connection is now ‘brilliant’ “It meant, for a while, “We whittled the we could bank online. tenders down to three !N EXHIBITION OF MORE THAN EMMA PEACOCK BSc MChS SRCh Then the bank companies –one  WEDDING SPECIALISTS introduced animated planned to lay cable to STATE REGISTERED graphics to its website, our door and the second 0LUS A "RIDALWEAR 3HOWCASE p which created 15 times was a combination of 4RY AND "UY ON THE $AY CHIROPODIST/PODIATRIST more data to download cable and wireless. at and the system couldn’t “We went with the cope any more. third –Call Flow Also visit The Wedding Experience at Salomons SOUTH PARK MEDICAL SERVICES Solutions –who are SOUTH PARK, SEVENOAKS Miles Tunbridge Wells on Sunday 3rd February wireless. The service A State Registered Chiropodist specialising in providing “I think our exchange has been superb. a comprehensive foot health care service including the is at Knockholt, so it “On average we’re 3 FOSROSNOP takes miles of phone now managing 16mb, treatment of corns, calluses, verrucae, ingrown toe nails cable to reach us and although the best I’ve and nail surgery the signal