Access to good quality broadband is essential to living and working in the countryside.  So it is not surprising that the latest research shows that it could significantly increase the value of your property. A national survey of 2,000 homeowners, conducted by ICM for the Halifax (Lloyds Banking Group), found that good broadband access affects nearly one third (30%) of people’s decision on whether to buy a home and that one fifth of homebuyers (20%) said that they would pay significantly more for the same property if it had a good broadband connection.

While this is great news for homeowners who already have a good conventional broadband connection, what about homes in Norfolk and Waveney that are unable to receive high quality broadband from mainstream providers? Wireless internet from ThinkingWISP may provide the solution.

ThinkingWISP is a partnership between the Norfolk Rural Community Council, AF Affinity and InTouch Systems, which uses wireless technology to transmit a broadband connection across much of north, south, east and mid-Norfolk as well as the Waveney area. The signal is then picked up by customers using a small receiver and all remissions are encrypted for security. It offers a fast way to connect to the internet without the speed, cost or service restrictions of traditional solutions. And as it’s wireless, customers can benefit even if the conventional internet in their area is slow.

Jon Clemo, Chief Executive of the Norfolk Rural Community Council, said: “Fast, reliable broadband from ThinkingWISP is transforming the way that many homes and businesses in Norfolk and Waveney are able to operate and this is likely to influence the value of their property.”

The ICM/Halifax survey found that of those homeowners who would pay more for a property with a good broadband connection, 67% would pay up to 3% more and 22% would pay 4%-10% more. With the average house in the UK now costing £162,932, this means that nearly a quarter of people would be willing to pay up to £16,293 extra to buy a home with good broadband.

ThinkingWISP offers four service packages ranging from 3mb ‘Home’ to 10mb ‘Business Plus’, with prices starting from £15.99 per month.  The service uses very low contention rates (the number of people who share the same band width) to ensure customers receive a consistent, high speed service. To find out if ThinkingWisp is available where you live and for full details of packages and prices click here or call 01603 558 001.