New ISP Gigler Brings 1Gbps FTTH Broadband Speeds to Bournemouth UK

CityFibre, which owns the contract for deploying a 1Gigabit per second (500Mbps uploads) capable Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) fibre optic broadband network in the south coast city of Bournemouth (England), has today announced the launch of a new ISP called Gigler to help deliver the service to consumers.

Some might recall that the CityFibre network in Bournemouth, which originally started development under the i3 Group’s defunct Fibrecity scheme, suffered from a huge spate of problems after the financial collapse of its former owners nearly two years ago (here). CityFibre, which is run by i3’s former President and COO (Greg Mesch), then stepped in to pick-up the pieces, repair any damage and complete the rollout (here).

According to CityFibre, Gigler is the first ISP to launch commercial services over their open access network and will deliver its “ground-breaking broadband services” to over 21,000 homes that are already connected to the Bournemouth FTTH network; this is said to be “the largest in the UK“.

Greg Mesch, CEO of CityFibre, said:

“Gigler has launched following further development and investment into our Fibre-to-the-Home network in Bournemouth. During successful customer trials, it came as no surprise that people not only enjoyed the incredible user experience due to the speeds, which dwarf any other residential services available, but also that their online behaviour patterns changed in step with the more advanced technology, they uploaded more files and content, as well as shifting more of their overall TV programme and film viewing online.

We are pleased that the people of Bournemouth are now able to take advantage of this future-proof fibre platform through the broadband services available from Gigler. CityFibre believes that now is the time for next generation access broadband services in the UK to thrive.”

Adam Troman, General Manager at Gigler, added:

“Up until now, consumers have had little choice but to accept small, incremental improvements in speed from providers, and the benefits of the extra fractions of Megabits sold to them. … We look forward to working with CityFibre to expand the Bournemouth network and offer this exciting product throughout the town.”

The service itself offers a selection of three packages, which all come with a free Wi-Fi router, internet download speeds of up to 1Gbps (Gigabits per second), uploads of 500Mbps (Megabits per second) and a £50 one-off installation fee. The first package includes an 80GB usage allowance and costs from £25 a month (£5 per 5GB boost), the second includes 250GB from £35 and the final option offers “unlimited” usage for £50; there’s also a 6 month money back guaratee.

Customers do not need to take a phone line to get the service, which is fine if you’re happy using only an internet based (VoIP) solution like Skype etc. However Gigler will face stiff competition in Bournemouth, with both Virgin Media and BT (FTTC/FTTP) offering superfast broadband services to locals. Admittedly neither is as fast as Gigler but then their marketing strength, established presence and less troubled history will also count for a lot.

Back in June 2011 CityFibre told ISPreview.co.uk that it hopes to pass all homes in the town by mid-2013 and has today begun “asking residents not currently in the Bournemouth catchment area to register their interest so that the network can be extended to areas with the greatest demand“. It will be interesting to see whether or not this network and service manages to succeed where i3’s attempt failed.