Gigaclear to Deploy 1Gbps Fibre Broadband to 3 More UK Rural Villages

Fibre optic ISP Gigaclear has confirmed that broadband speeds of up to 1Gbps (Gigabit per second) should soon become available to 1,500 homes and 4 business parks in Farmoor and Stanton Harcourt (Oxfordshire, England) alongside Underriver and its surrounding villages in Kent.

Details of the roll-out to the Underriver area were confirmed last month (here) but the two additional communities have only just been announced. It’s understood that construction work to build the new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network has already started in Farmoor, while Stanton Harcourt will commence in December 2013 and the Underriver project in Kent is expected to begin during early 2014.

Matthew Hare, CEO of Gigaclear, said:

“These new communities represent Gigaclear’s continuing programme of private investment in rural areas. By the time the initiatives are complete, Gigaclear will have invested some £2 million (GBP) in Oxfordshire and a further £1 million (GBP) in Kent alone. We expect this momentum to increase further as more communities choose to drive their own broadband initiatives forward instead of waiting for solutions which will not guarantee coverage or speeds and which are yet to materialise.”

Bernard Farr, Spokesman for the Digital Farmoor Group, added:

“Once completed, Farmoor will be one of very few places in the world with fibre broadband connected all the way to the home of each subscriber resident – and at ultrafast speeds. Farmoor can forget stuttering iPlayer, stammering Skype and other current broadband frustrations and instead looks forward to a future proof broadband service from Gigaclear. Additionally, premium broadband into the house will give Farmoor residents properties which are easier to sell and at better prices.”

The first homes should go live from early next year and customers will pay from £37 per month for a symmetric 50Mbps package that comes with a static IP address, unlimited usage, parental controls and a gigabit hub (plus a £100 installation fee). It’s also worth mentioning that you aren’t required to pay expensive copper line rental with true fibre optic services.

Check out ISPreview.co.uk’s exclusive Interview with Gigaclear this week for more details on their approach and opinions on the United Kingdom’s national broadband strategy (here).