Internet upgrades to help isolating islanders

Wednesday 18 March 2020

Local telecom operators have agreed to increase all fibre broadband connections for free as more islanders work from home and self-isolate.

JT, Sure and Homenet's connections will be increased to a symmetrical 1 Gbit/s over the next two weeks.

This arrangement, which follows discussions with Digital Jersey and the Government, will last for as long as the current corona virus measures remain in place unless otherwise agreed by all parties.

The tariffs paid by broadband subscribers will not change.

Senator Lyndon Farnham, Minister for Economic Development, Sport and Culture and Assistant Chief Minister, welcomed the announcement.

“Anything that can be done to support the island at this time is most welcome," he said. "I want to thank Digital Jersey and all the telecoms operators for working together to deliver this solution.”

"These are challenging times and it is great to see the industry work together to facilitate the introduction of these higher broadband speeds," Tony Moretta, CEO of Digital Jersey, added.

"With our 100% fibre network, Jersey is in the unique position of being able to easily support all the services required for both remote working and living for the entire population.  We will continue to work with Government and industry to ensure both businesses and consumers have the technology they need.”