Hyperoptic Bring 1Gbps FTTB Home Broadband to First Cardiff Building

It’s been seven months since Hyperoptic announced that their “hyper-sonic” 1000Mbps (Megabits per second) capable home and business Fibre-To-The-Building (FTTB) network would be expanding into the city of Cardiff in Wales (here) and now residents of the Hayes Apartments will be the first to officially benefit as the service finally goes live.

The urban-focused ISP typically prioritises buildings (predominantly larger Multi-Dwelling Units) by which have the most demand for their service and it’s claimed that a “large number” of residents in Hayes Apartments had registered just such an interest in Hyperoptic’s service.

Apparently Hyperoptic then agreed an installation plan with the St. David’s Partnership, which is a joint venture between Land Securities and Intu, and began to deploy the new high-capacity fibre optic cable. The flats were then networked and all of this was completed within just three months.

According to Ken Poole, Head of Economic Development at the City of Cardiff Council, Hyperoptic intends to invest £4 million into similar developments across Cardiff over the next 5 years.

Dana Tobak, Managing Director of Hyperoptic, said:

“Cardiff is a key city for Hyperoptic, and we have been really encouraged by the demand and interest shown by Cardiff residents. We are committed to giving residents in Cardiff a broadband service that they can depend upon, in terms of speed and online experience.”

Marc Cole, Resident of the Hayes Apartments, added:

“I have been counting down the days to getting hyperfast connectivity from Hyperoptic. It just knocks the socks off the competition and means that I don’t have to compromise my personal and professional online needs. One thing’s for sure – now that I have the fastest broadband in the UK, I won’t be moving elsewhere for a very long time!“

The development is of course only the latest example of Hyperoptic’s growing coverage, which is being fuelled by a £50 million investment from Quantum Strategic Partners (here). The service is currently also being deployed to similar apartments, including some businesses, in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Bristol and Reading.

At the last count Hyperoptic’s network had reached (premises passed) around 35,000 homes at 150 major property developments and they intend to hit a long-term goal of 500,000 by 2018. Prices for the service start at £12.50 inc. VAT per month for their unlimited 20Mbps package (£40 setup fee on a 12 month contract), which rises to £25 for 100Mbps and then £50 for 1000Mbps (Megabits per second). Adding a fixed phone line on top will also set you back from another £12.50 per month.