Hackney Council and Hyperoptic Agree Deal to Deploy Full Fibre

City-focused UK ISP Hyperoptic, which is currently deploying 1Gbps capable “full fibre” (FTTP/B) broadband networks across large residential buildings (MDUs), office blocks and houses, has reached a new social housing agreement with Hackney Council in London that will see their network cover 30% of homes in the borough.

At present Hyperoptic’s gigabit fibre network is already present in parts of 43 UK towns and cities across well over 400,000 premises, and they have previously expressed an ambition to cover 2 million UK premises by the end of 2021 and then 5 million by the end of 2024 (mostly in urban areas). A lot of this work involves going into large residential buildings (Multiple Dwelling Units).

Some of the operator’s most significant network coverage exists in London, which is where they started deploying around a decade ago. In fact, over 10% of homes (11,000) in the borough of Hackney already have access to Hyperoptic’s services and the new deal, which form’s part of the local authority’s Better Broadband programme for council homes, will see that figure rise to 30% (no completion date is mentioned).

The ISP has also previously agreed similar partnerships with a number of other London councils to give their residents access to a gigabit broadband services, such as Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Brent and Hammersmith to name a few. Often this will involve some form of master wayleave (legal land / property access) agreement.

Liam McAvoy, Hyperoptic’s MD of Business Development, said:

“We have spent the last decade being relentlessly focussed on enabling as many people as possible to benefit from access to hyperfast, reliable broadband. We have gone from servicing large MDUs, to installing services in smaller developments, to individual houses. All building types will be included in this rollout with Hackney.

Our ethos is to always go beyond the expected, which is why during the last year we led the industry in supporting people who need it most – from offering a free service to families for home schooling, donating our Christmas party fund to worthwhile causes and launching a new tariff for people on means-tested benefits. We also believe it’s fundamental to support and invest in the communities we serve, which is why we layer our provision with job creation, free training and community connections.”

As part of this agreement with Hackney Council, Hyperoptic will also help provide 50 free connections to community halls and other local facilities; provide apprenticeships, employment opportunities and digital skills training for local residents; and offer targeted discounts to some residents who are in financial hardship and are digitally excluded. The operator is also actively recruiting some local staff.

The ISP claims that their “Digital Connectivity Social Value Calculator” demonstrates that they will be creating £12.9 million of “social value” through the rollout of their hyperfast broadband network across the London borough of Hackney. However, in the absence of any supporting calculations or methodology for this data, such figures should always be taken with a pinch of salt.

Customers typically pay from around £22 per month for an unlimited 50Mbps service on Hyperoptic and this goes up to £39 for 900Mbps+ (symmetric speed) on a 12-month minimum contract term (discounts applied). A one-off £29 activation fee also applies.