The Ranston Estate to Acquire M12 Solutions Share of UK ISP Wessex Internet

The Ranston Estate has agreed terms to acquire M12 Solutions’s share of their alternative network ISP Wessex Internet, which has deployed a mix of fibre optic (FTTH) and fixed wireless broadband services into rural parts of North Dorset, South Wiltshire and East Somerset in England.

Previously The Ranston Estate and M12 setup Wessex Internet as a Joint Venture, but the Ranston purchase will now see it operate as Wessex Internet Ltd from its Dorset HQ near Blandford, assuming all responsibilities for the business from early 2018. The management team will thus become focussed wholly on the business itself and growing its coverage.

Meanwhile M12 Solutions will exit and focus on providing internet connectivity to businesses and home workers nationally under its Giganet brand name.

James Gibson Fleming, Ranston Partner and WI Co-founder, said:

“We are passionate about providing the best possible connectivity to customers. The buyout of our JV partners will allow us to focus locally on building the network and working with landowners to get fibre to the remotest places. In a very dynamic industry we will be continuing to provide our existing and new customers with the fastest internet service in the UK.”

Matthew Skipsey, M12 Technical Director and WI Co-founder, said:

“From what started out as a pilot, wirelessly beaming our Shaftesbury broadband connection to my friend’s family farm 6 miles away, to growing into a hybrid 10Gb fibre and fixed-wireless network, now supporting over 2,000 customers and a massive 390TB of data transfer per month, it’s been an incredible journey since late 2010.

The M12 team have had to spin many plates working to grow sustainably and the national recognition last year that we were the best in the UK was perhaps the highlight. M12’s next chapter is equally exciting, with national availability of our superfast and ultrafast internet with our hosted VOIP platform under a new connectivity brand name, Giganet.

I wish Hector and James every success; they already know the business inside-out and have great determination and passion for what Wessex Internet is all about”.

Wessex Internet now plans to start a “major upgrade” of its core network following the takeover and increasing its focus on Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP/H) connections for homes and businesses across the Wessex area. Further details are expected to be released sometime in the New Year 2018.