Gigaclear Begins FTTP Broadband Rollout in Uttlesford After Delay

Despite a recent delay to Gigaclear’s state aid supported contract with the Superfast Essex (SFE) project (here), the rural UK ISP has today confirmed that some of the first homes in Uttlesford to benefit from their new 900Mbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network have now gone live in Birchanger.

So far Gigaclear has already completed their Phase 2B contract for SFE (4,000 premises in Epping Forest) and until a few months ago they also planned Phase 3 work (i.e. 8,300 premises in Uttlesford and Central North by Dec 2019), as well as the recently won contract for Phase 4a (2,100 premises in Epping Forest).

Unfortunately it was confirmed last year that Gigaclear’s roll-out was struggling “due to the complexity of the network build coupled with resourcing challenges“. As a result work under Phase 3 in the Uttlesford District and parts of Braintree District and Colchester Borough and Phase 4a was delayed to complete by July 2020, rather than December 2019.

On the upside Gigaclear’s delays in Essex weren’t nearly as serious as they have been in other parts of England and happily the operator has now started their deployment in Uttlesford, with 212 homes in Birchanger being among the first to benefit. Getting this far was a major task, which required the ISP’s contractor (Kier) to dig up 5.3km of carriageway, footway and verge to lay just over 6.5km of new fibre optic cable.

Drew Ritchie, COO of Gigaclear, said:

“This marks the start of a hugely exciting time for residents and businesses who live and work across the Uttlesford District. We believe passionately in the importance of digital inclusion for all, no matter how rural their chosen home or business is, and we are delighted that our network is bringing world-class broadband speeds to residents of Birchanger in partnership with Superfast Essex.

We hear time and again how an excellent internet connection can really transform lives, be it accessing important social and retail services remotely or simply keeping in touch with family members living far away.”

Gagan Mohindra, Essex Councillor for Economic Development, said:

“I’m thrilled residents can now buy ultrafast broadband in Birchanger because of Superfast Essex’s work with Gigaclear. This is the first of many cabinet areas due to be connected, meaning shortly even more Uttlesford homes and businesses will be able to benefit too.

Building a brand-new broadband network is no easy feat, but the long-term benefits to the economy and quality of home life makes it a very worthwhile project for Essex County Council to invest in.”

The £6.8 million Phase 3 contract is ultimately expected to connect a total of 4,600 properties in the Uttlesford District. Admittedly the roll-out in this area may take longer than originally planned but the delay isn’t unreasonable for such a complicated engineering project.