ISP Call Flow Adopts Trooli Brand and Extends UK FTTP Rollout

Alternative UK ISP Call Flow Solutions has decided to adopt the same branding as its sibling, Trooli, which is currently rolling out a new 1Gbps Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband service across rural parts of Kent and East Sussex in England. New regions are also being targeted for their network expansion.

Call Flow Solutions was originally founded by ex-BT executive Andy Conibere. The provider started life by offering a mix of different technologies, including a Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) network and some Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) solutions via sub-loop unbundling (SLU). But in 2018 the provider began branching out more into “full fibre” FTTP via the launch of a sibling provider called Trooli (here).

Toward the end of last year it was revealed that Trooli had so far completed a deployment of their new FTTP network to cover 50,000 premises (up from 26,000 in June 2020), while staff numbers have also increased by some 350% in the past year alone (now c.120). The ISP has also been boosted by an investment of €30m from the Connecting Europe Broadband Fund (here) and, more recently, £5m via a senior facility agreement with NatWest Bank (here).

As a result of all this progress Trooli has today decided to accelerate their rollout pace by a year, which means that they now aim to cover a “minimum” of 150,000 UK premises in 2021, before rising to 500,000 by the end of 2023 and then 1 million in 2024 (the latter goal has doubled their original target). The deployment will also be extended into parts of Berkshire, Hampshire, West Sussex and Wiltshire later this year.

The increasing focus on FTTP means that Trooli’s parent, Call Flow, has also now decided to adopt the same branding going forward.

Andy Conibere, Chief Executive Officer, said:

“As per our expectations, Trooli has proved to be tremendously successful, developing a strong brand and an expanding customer base in a short period of time.

While we remain committed to our Call Flow FTTC network, our future growth will be driven by rolling out our ultrafast FTTP network to as many customers as possible within an ambitious timeframe.

The pandemic has massively increased the demand and need for reliable ultrafast broadband. This is currently only available to fewer than one in five households in the UK ­– something we are passionate about addressing.

With good quality broadband now an increasingly essential part of people’s lives, it is clear to me – after more than 30 years in the industry – that the future of telecoms lies in the type of FTTP service Trooli provides. Our rebranding of the whole company from Call Flow Solutions to Trooli reflects our faith in this technology, and with the team we have in place I am very excited about what lies ahead.”

Trooli’s broadband packages typically cost from £50 inc. VAT per month for an unlimited 300Mbps (100Mbps upload) service and this rises to £80 for 900Mbps+ (300Mbps upload). However, the ISP will still need to raise significantly more investment to achieve their new deployment ambitions, but at this rate of progress that shouldn’t be too difficult.