Urban UK ISP Hyperoptic Officially Launch 500Mbps Broadband

A few months ago we leaked information on a new 500Mbps package that was being tested by “full fibre” (FTTP/B) broadband ISP Hyperoptic (here). The good news is that this additional tier is now out of trial and will today be officially launched across their portfolio of packages.

As we write this the Hyperoptic website is currently offline for “scheduled maintenance” and the new tier should be present once it returns. Previously the provider only offered three commercial tiers to the public at different broadband speeds, including 50Mbps (5Mbps upload), 150Mbps and 900Mbps+. All bar the 30Mbps tier offered symmetric speeds (i.e. the same speed for both downloads and uploads).

The new 500Mbps plan is set to cost from £38 per month on a 12 month contract term or £39 for a 30 day term (broadband only), which rises to £50 after the initial term has ended. You can also take it with a phone service, which raises the price to £40 on a 12 month contract or £42 on a 30 day term (£53 thereafter). Take note that the 30 day term options also attract a £20 one-off connection fee.

As usual the packages all include unlimited usage, 24/7 support, a wireless router and a dynamic IP address (IPv6 support has been rolled out) or £5 extra per month for a Static IP. Free installation is included. Apparently the latest promotional pricing will run from today until 22nd December 2019.

Dana Tobak CBE, MD and CEO of Hyperoptic, said:

“Current 500Mbps services are hard to find and either come bundled with expensive TV services or are on long-term, restrictive contracts. Once again, we are tearing up the accepted ‘norm’ in the market and offering 500Mbps services on the most flexible contract available in the UK, at a highly competitive price.

This new service neatly bridges the gap between our 150Mbps and 1Gbps offerings, providing consumers with a choice of packages. The wider range of fibre speeds will also help support the nation’s drive to increase Gigabit connectivity, as the new speed tier will give consumers the chance to experience what’s possible with ultrafast connections.”

In case anybody has forgotten, Hyperoptic’s Gigabit capable fibre optic network is currently live for over 400,000 premises across around 43 UK towns and cities, albeit mostly focused upon large residential apartment buildings (e.g. Multi-Dwelling Units with at least 50 units / flats each) or big office blocks.

Hyperoptic currently aspires to cover 2 million premises by the end of 2021, with a future aspiration to potentially reach 5 million by 2024, and their recent acquisition by global investment firm KKR should help to provide the necessary investment capital in order to get the next phase of that expansion going (here).

Despite this the provider faces growing competition from rival MDU focused full fibre ISP Community Fibre in London, as well as Openreach, Virgin Media and Cityfibre in parts of various cities across the United Kingdom.