GTC Improves its FTTH Broadband Offer to New Build UK Home Developers

Utility infrastructure provider GTC (Brookfield Utilities UK) appears to have responded to Openreach’s (BT) increasingly attractive FTTP “full fibre” broadband offer for new build home developers by enhancing their rival proposition via the Home Builders Federation, which makes it more accessible.

Last year GTC (Brookfield Utilities UK) and the HBF signed a new deal to boost uptake of the UltraStream300 product (here), which is the name that GTC gives to their open access 300Mbps (1Gbps future capable) Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH/P) network that is designed to be installed during the construction phase of new build home developments (it’s always cheapest to deploy multiple utility services during the early construction phases).

Under that agreement the HBF, which represents around 80% of all new homes built each year across England and Wales, would highlight GTC as another broadband option to developers. GTC also offered unlimited free site assessments, dedicated site technical management and after sales benefits (e.g. product training, promotional marketing material and a complementary sales-suite ultrafast broadband connection).

Since then Openreach has improved their existing similar offer to new build home developers. Initially the operator offered to install FTTP for free at new developments of 250 homes or more, then in May 2016 that was reduced to 100 homes and from the following November it dropped to just 30 homes.

Now GTC appears to have responded by simplifying their rebate system (it’s unclear precisely what’s changed) and including smaller developments from 40 plots and upwards.

Tom Brough, GTC’s Sales and Marketing Director, said:

“We are committed to offering HBF members, many of whom we have worked with for years, the best commercial terms that we can, combined with our market-leading FTTH product and the reliability of delivery for which GTC is known. With this new agreement, even more projects will be able to take advantage.”

Generally GTC’s FTTH service is sold to new home owners via a choice of five different ISPs (Seethelight, VFast, Direct Save Telecom, Love Your Broadband and Pure Broadband), although all appear to offer nearly identical pricing and services for the related products.

GTC’s network also benefits from an agreement with Sky, which enables the broadcaster’s Satellite TV channels to be distributed over the developers fibre optic network via a centralised Fibre Integrated Reception System (FIRS). This works well, although we have seen the odd gripe about delays in getting the TV service fixed when their centralised distribution system breaks.