ISP Hyperoptic Switches On First 1Gbps Broadband Homes in Manchester

Urban fibre optic (FTTB/H) provider Hyperoptic has today announced that the first residents of Greater Manchester to benefit from their new 1000Mbps (Megabits per second) capable broadband network in the area will be those who reside in the two developments (Multi-Dwelling Units) of Sovereign Point and Imperial Point (Salford Quays).

Hyperoptic’s decision to begin deployment in the Greater Manchester region was first announced back in May 2014 (here) and is in addition to their on-going roll-out across the cities of London, Liverpool, Leeds, Cardiff (Wales), Bristol, Reading, Glasgow, Newcastle, Sheffield, Birmingham and Nottingham. So far over 75,000 premises (e.g. flats and apartment blocks / 480 sites) have been covered by their service, albeit mostly in London.

However the two developments named above, which are incidentally both managed by the Emerson Group, appear to be only the start and the ISP states that a further 40 developments are currently “undergoing installation” work in the Greater Manchester area. At present an MDU served by Hyperoptic can be home to anything upwards of 18 apartments (they initially started by targeting developments with at least 80 units).

Kevin Peel, Manchester City Councillor, said:

“Manchester and Salford have long been on the map for their creative digital scene, but dire broadband speeds available to many have slowed progress. Thanks in part to our campaign to raise awareness of this problem, thousands of residents are now able to gain access to the fastest available internet speeds through Hyperoptic’s industry-leading service.

We will continue to work with providers like Hyperoptic, property developers, building managers and residents themselves to rollout out genuine hyper-fast fibre optic broadband to as many residents as possible to bring Manchester and the wider city region up to speed with the broadband it deserves.”

Simon Wilson, The Emerson Group, said:

“This area is constantly developing and there is an obligation to offer residents real technological advances to match their lifestyle demands. The new hyper-fast connectivity is already making a practical difference to users’ online lives and adding to the value of the property for residents and owners alike.”

The Fibre-To-The-Building/Home (FTTB/H) network typically offers packages that range in speed from 20Mbps (£12.50 per month with phone line rental of £12.50) and go all the way up to 1000Mbps (from £50 per month). Standalone prices without the phone service are also available, although they’re only a few pounds cheaper.

At present Hyperoptic are also offering their services alongside a discount giving 3 months of free service, which is on top of free installation, unlimited usage, free evening and weekend calls, a free wireless router and of course a 12 month contract term.