UK ISP G.Network and a major London landlord, the Howard de Walden Estate (HDWE), have agreed a deal that means 850 properties across 92 acres of London’s Marylebone area will now gain access to their 900Mbps Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network “as a standard feature for its residential occupiers.”
The provider, which is fuelled by around £65m of private investment (here) and partly owned by Luxembourg-based Cube Infrastructure Managers, has been busy deploying their FTTP network across parts of central London since early 2019. So far they appear to have built enough to cover over 100,000 premises, although the last official update we had was 75,000 in September 2019 (their initial build target is 120,000 premises).
G.Network has already begun work across the HDWE in order to complete the upgrade. The company has a strong presence in the area, having focused its initial roll-out across parts of Westminster. It has now expanded its focus to other areas such as Kensington and Chelsea, Camden, Lambeth, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Hammersmith and Fulham.
Residential packages tend to start from £28 inc. VAT per month (£22 on a special offer) for an unlimited 150Mbps (50Mbps upload) service, which includes a free wireless router and connection. The cost rises to £57 per month for their top 900Mbps symmetric tier (£48 on a special offer), available on a 12 or 24 month contract term.
David Sangster, Managing Director of G.Network, said:
“We’ve been working for several years to install our full-fibre infrastructure across the Marylebone area, including many of the properties owned by Howard de Walden.
Our strong partnership means that we can quickly roll out this infrastructure upgrade, which will be really beneficial to hundreds of Howard de Walden customers. With so many people working or studying from home at the moment, these upgrades will be very welcomed.”
Tracey Hartley, Head of Residential at The Howard de Walden Estate, said:
“The residential landscape is changing with homes in central London locations becoming increasingly sought-after as people seek to switch from long commutes in favour of being closer to where they work, and also having access to great amenities.
This will also require landlords to offer a broader range of services. Our new partnership with G.Network is indicative of our commitment to giving our customers the best service in one of London’s most vibrant neighbourhoods.”
The provider, which has now proven its credentials, is separately reported to be on the hunt for an investment boost of around £200 million (possibly via the sale of new shares and private debt markets) in order to accelerate their future roll-out plans beyond 120,000 premises (here).
There’s a huge difference between “homes passed” and homes that have service. The press need to be asking Telco’s how many of the homes passed actually have service…
That’s a good point. On the other hand G.Network should provide you with approximate date if you contact them on social media.
Most companies are reasonably open about how they define passed. They have to be otherwise they would be seen as misleading shareholders.
For most it just means service orderable.
For others it is more specific like POT installed adjacent to boundary.
I’m under pressure to commit to an 18 months contract for broadband . When will G network service be available to residents in the Kensington Olympia area PLEASE .