Hyperoptic To Offer 1Gbps Fibre In Birmingham, Newcastle, Sheffield And Nottingham

Hyperoptic is to provide speeds of up to 1Gbps to residents and businesses in Newcastle, Sheffield, Birmingham and Nottingham, promising that its Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) network has doubled in size to reach 75,000 homes across the UK.

The service is already available in Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Reading, with plans for a network in Glasgow revealed last month, and there are ambitious plans to extend the footprint to 500,000 premises by 2018.

The company says demand is being fuelled by an increased desire for faster broadband, with those interested urged to register their interest on Hyperoptic’s website. The majority of the UK’s fibre infrastructure is made up of Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) technology, which uses copper for the final few metres of the connection, resulting in slower speeds than FTTP.

Hyperoptic FTTP network

“A fast, consistent, dependable fibre connection is now essential for entertainment, socialising and work,” says Dana Tobak, managing director of Hyperoptic. “With symmetrical gigabit speeds, you can be guaranteed that you can enjoy the best of what the internet has to offer.

As a result, the reception to our products and services has been phenomenal. We remain committed to expand our footprint and availability across the UK.”

Hyperoptic is one of 500 suppliers signed up to the Super Connected cities voucher scheme, which invites SMBs in 22 cities across the UK to apply for grants worth up to £3,000 for the installation of superfast broadband.

BT’s fibre service predominantly makes use of FTTC, although it does provide FTTP to some businesses and apartment buildings, while CityFibre also operates a number of pure fibre networks across the UK and has entered into a partnership with Sky and TalkTalk that could eventually reach 60 percent of the country.

“Government is fully aware of the tremendous contribution that companies such as Hyperoptic are making to the UK’s Internet industry,” says communications minister Ed Vaizey. “Cutting-edge technology is the foundation for growth and innovation and today’s announcement is fantastic news for Newcastle, Sheffield, Birmingham and Nottingham.”

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