Quickline Saves Lincolnshire Wireless ISP Linpop from Going Bust

Linpop (Linpop Broadband Now), a small fixed wireless broadband ISP that serves residents and businesses in the Trent Valley area of rural North Lincolnshire (England), has been rescued (merger) for an undisclosed sum by local provider Quickline after it fell into administration last month.

The surprise development followed Linpop’s decision in August 2013 to appointment Chris Lowe as its new Chief Executive. At the time Linpop claimed to be connecting 15 to 20 new customers a week and its Founder, Dr Vaughan Kitchin, said the service offered, “a unique and world-class technology that delivers reliable, high quality, secure broadband services even to rural locations.”

Unfortunately, at some point over the past couple of months, Linpop hit troubled times and became an insolvent company due to some unspecified cash-flow problems.

Steve Jagger, MD of Quickline, said (The Lincolnite):

“It completely makes sense to join together rather than compete and takes Quickline one-step closer to becoming the largest footprint WiMAX provider in the UK. As an independent wireless internet service provider, we have invested in our own technology since 2007, which means that we can provide an excellent service and keep overheads and customer costs under control.

In my opinion, the planned provision from BDUK will seemingly widen the digital divide by speeding up urban areas and leaving rural areas with as little as 0.2Mg connection. To negate this, we are providing those who choose to live in the countryside an internet connection that is equal to urban areas. By working with wireless internet service providers around the UK, the Government’s 2015 broadband target can be achieved.”

We’re not entirely sure what the “0.2Mg” connection remark is all about because the Government’s Universal Service Commitment (USC) is for a minimum of at least 2Mbps (download speed) and we assume “Mg” also equates to Megabits. However Linpop’s founder does put some of the blame at the feet of local government for shunning their plan with Quickline to make faster broadband available to the entire county. “Together we aim to cover the whole of Lincolnshire, which seems to be omitted from realistic national broadband supply plans,” said Kitchin.

Quickline, much like other fixed wireless ISPs, are perhaps concerned for the future given that most of the state aid being pumped into the national Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) scheme is being funneled towards fixed line provision from BT. North and North East Lincolnshire’s related £5.7m project aims to make BT’s “fibre broadband” (FTTC/P) network available to 89% of local premises by the end of Spring 2015 (here).

It’s worth pointing out that Quickline’s AIRFibre Home product offers download speeds of between 8-25Mbps (10Mbps uploads) from £27.50 per month (£195 installation).