Strathspey broadband customers cut-off in legal dispute over telecoms mast
A large number of households and businesses in Strathspey have been left without a broadband service because of a legal dispute affecting a key telecoms mast.
More than 70 customers served by TransmitAIR have had no internet connection for the past five days because of the fall-out with the owners of the Laggan Hill mast by Dulnain Bridge.
One customer told the Strathy the service was suspended on Friday (March 28) without warning.
A TransmitAIR spokesman said: “Further to our notice on Friday we are awaiting an update from our legal team as to the ongoing dispute with the operator of the main Laggan mast.
“At present we don't have a timescale for resumption of services but we are looking to receive updates soon and organise a swift resolution.
“As a company we have worked hard to build a network to bring an experience that would not normally be achievable for many in Strathspey.
“We are truly sorry for the disruption to the service our customers have all come to expect and rely on.
“Further updates will follow as soon we have them.”
TransmitAIR also has customers in Fife and Angus but they are not affected.
The spokesman stressed local customers who have lost their broadband service will not be charged.
He commented: “The number of customers we have in Strathspey is in excess of 70 and we have assured them in all recent communications that no one will be paying a penny until we restore the service.
“We have cancelled all invoices that were due to be taken today (April 1).”
The company said it was unable to comment on the nature of the dispute because it is an on-going legal matter.
One affected Grantown customer, who did not wish to be named, has said that the loss of internet is causing significant disruption to her life.
She said: “I can only get online when I can tether to a phone.
“Up until now the customer service and broadband speed from TransmitAIR has been brilliant and so it is disappointing that we have all been left in the lurch by this situation.
“I do feel very unhappy with the mast owners who have disconnected so many people in a vulnerable rural community without any forewarning or apology.
“Good internet is vital for rural communities for day to day activities such as banking and accessing medical services and many local businesses depend on having good broadband.
“I do hope that whatever the issue is TransmitAIR can find a resolution.”
Updates are being posted on TransmitAIR’s websire which can be found by clicking here.
On Friday, the company had posted: “We are aware of an outage currently affecting customers in Grantown and the surrounding areas.
“Our engineers are investigating the cause and working to rectify the problem.
“We apologise in for any disruption.”
TransmitAIR describes itself as a ‘new breed of Internet Service Provider, connecting Scotland without wires’.
A sign on the gates to the two masts at Laggan Hill state the site owner is Arqiva.
However, TransmitAIR are in dispute with Cellnex UK which shares the site with Arqiva who are not involved in the row.
The Strathy has contacted the firm for a comment.
Customers did sign up to the TransmitAIr service through the StrathspeyNow project but the local organisation severed its links last summer claiming that a promised small community benefit fund had not been delivered by the ISP.
StrathspeyNow stated in an online post last July: “It is with regret we announce the end of the partnership between StrathspeyNow and our project’s internet service provider.
“As publicised since day one, a small percentage of the tariff paid by the StrathspeyNow network’s customers was designed to help fund community benefit in the form of our managed, integrated digital communication – enabling us to support local businesses, community groups, cultural and tourism projects, education and training providers, environmental initiatives as well as health and social care partnerships … all in the knowledge that our work helps to add to the area’s economic sustainability and wellbeing.”
The statement continued: “We were and remain immensely proud to deliver transformational broadband and, over the next year, we – and our customers acting as true advocates – helped to grow the network with homes and businesses connected across more than 50 square miles of Strathspey.
“Sadly, although we launched with ‘community benefit’ as our mantra, we have to face commercial reality.
“Despite our helping to research, design, launch, market and build what we believe to be Scotland’s largest community-benefit broadband network, the project’s ISP, Transmit Air, no longer share our vision and have failed to support us in line with what was promised.
“As a result, we have no option but to cut ties – with TransmitAIR and their sister company, Rapier Systems.
“We would like to extend a huge ‘thank you’ to all who showed interest from the outset, who signed-up and have since been connected.
“It is our understanding that TransmitAIR will continue to deliver the network: any communication regarding the network, service provision and contracts – whether ongoing or new – is now down to them alone.
“That said, it is only right that we make it clear they – and therefore, by default the network’s customers – will no longer be making any contribution to our community-benefit support work.
“We are issuing this statement to keep all up to speed.
“We are invested in Strathspey. We have friends, family and colleagues who live and work across the area – some even connected to the network we helped to launch.
“As a result of the way circumstances have panned out, we have not been able to deliver in the way we would have liked.”
