Hyperoptic to Rollout Full Fibre to 8000 Poplar HARCA UK Homes

UK ISP Hyperoptic, which builds 1Gbps capable “full fibre” (FTTP/B) broadband networks to large residential (MDU) and office buildings, has reached a new agreement that will see their service being expanded to cover 8,000 homes from the Poplar HARCA housing association in East London.

Customers typically pay from around £22 per month for an unlimited 50Mbps service on Hyperoptic and this goes up to £40 for 1Gbps (symmetric speed) on a 12-month minimum contract term (discounts applied). But as part of the new agreement above, Hyperoptic will also offer the most vulnerable and digitally excluded residents a free 50Mbps service for 12 months.

The provider’s gigabit fibre network is currently present in parts of 43 UK towns and cities across well over 400,000 premises, including a large number in London, although they have previously expressed an ambition to cover 2 million UK premises by the end of 2021, followed by 5 million come the end of 2024 (mostly in urban areas). But we haven’t had a progress update on this for a while.

Liam McAvoy, Hyperoptic’s Senior Director of Business Development, said:

“Poplar HARCA is a progressive housing provider with a clear vision to discover, develop and implement opportunities to help its community thrive. We are thrilled to support this objective with a future-proofed broadband service, which enables a host of societal and economic benefits.

We believe that everyone deserves to enjoy the benefits afforded by access to full fibre connectivity, which is why connecting social housing homes is one of Hyperoptic’s strategic priorities. Partnerships like these are fundamental to keep us on track to Gigabit London.”

Babu Bhattacherjee, Poplar HARCA Director of Communities and Neighbourhoods, said:

“Covid-19 has shone a spotlight on the harmful effects of digital exclusion on low-income communities. The Internet has become a central part of our lives. It is necessary for keeping informed and accessing opportunities. Partnerships such as these are essential to sustaining thriving families and communities. We’re also seeing how having a fast and reliable Internet connection positively impacts mental wellbeing. Digital inclusion is a priority now more than ever.”

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