My Fibre Limited Moots FTTH Broadband Network for Rural Wales

Dorset-based My Fibre Limited, which describes itself as a “mechanical or industrial engineering” company that runs some Dark Fibre networks, has proposed to extend their network and may build an ultrafast Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) broadband ISP service for a rural community in mid-Wales.

At present the company mostly seems to operate a few niche Dark Fibre networks for film production facilities and academic institutions in London and the South East of England. A website domain does exist for My Fibre Limited (http://www.myfibre.co.uk) but it seems to be parked in a holding page and their LinkedIn profile doesn’t tell us much either.

The company has also put in a related application for Code Powers from Ofcom (i.e. speeds up deployment by reducing the number of licenses needed for street works), which reveals a little bit more information about their plans for the future but not a lot.

My Fibre Limited’s Future Plan

The Applicant seeks Code powers to facilitate the expansion of its network, on public highways, on behalf of existing and potential new customers. Its expansion plans include:

• Extension of existing campus networks to off-site premises and also to local communities and businesses;

• Extension of an existing non-campus based private broadband network; and

• Deployment of a Fibre to the Home (FTTH) network to a hard-to-reach rural community in mid Wales utilising funding under the Government’s Rural Broadband Infrastructure Scheme. Subject to its success, the Applicant proposes to extend the network to surrounding communities.

The RBIS is part of the Rural Development Programme for England (details), which has been handing out funding from a £75m investment pot in order to help rural businesses and communities to build 30Mbps+ capable superfast broadband ISP networks in poorly served areas. The funding provisioned under this must be “used to support full fibre wherever possible.”

Apparently My Fibre also intend to use Openreach’s existing ducts for its network expansion via their Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product, at least they will do in locations where it makes sense. Otherwise there’s not a lot of information available but the company’s accounts appear to be in a refreshingly healthy state.