ISP Hey!Broadband Brings 1Gbps FTTP Build to Godalming
UK ISP Hey! Broadband (F&W Networks) has confirmed to ISPreview.co.uk that they’re now deploying their new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to cover the historic market town and civil parish of Godalming in Surrey, which is home to around 22,000 people.
The operator, which appears to hold a long-term aspiration toward covering over 1 million UK premises by the end of 2024 (here), has so far been spotted deploying “full fibre” in a number of other counties including Horsham and Southwater in West Sussex; Gerrards Cross, Chalfont Saint Peter, High Wycombe and Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire; and Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire.
The good news is that they’re also now entering Surrey, which we’ve been able to confirm after locals in Godalming spotted their engineering teams at work. Once live, customers can expect unlimited packages that cost from £35 per month for speeds of 250Mbps (50Mbps upload) or £40 (discounted from £65) for 1000Mbps (symmetrical upload).
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All the provider’s packages come with unlimited usage, a wireless router, an 18-month contract term, parental controls and free installation. The ISP also promises “no price increase during [the] minimum commitment period.”
One catch with all this is that another alternative network provider, Swish Fibre, are also targetting Godalming (here) and it’s also on Openreach’s rollout plan (here).
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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I’m a HeyBroadband customer in Gerrards Cross. It’s a great service. £40/month for symmetrical gigabit is a cracking deal. I’m a little concerned what the price will jump up to at the end of the 18 month period though.
Aren’t Swish Fibre in there same kind of areas too? Sounds like some overbuild going on!
Yep.
They are. GX has been an OpenReach only serve area. Virgin never bothered so we were left waiting for FTTP. Then like a bus, 3 providers all deployed Fibre at the same time. Now we have Hey! Broadband, Swish Fibre and Openreach.
And to think Jurassic Fibre (local to me) is supplying 950/200 for £95 a month. It’s rather depressing considering it’s my only choice for near gigabit broadband and I keep seeing other providers offering better for less than half the price.
I’m sure the cost to Jurassic to deliver your service is somewhat higher than others.
Rural is expensive, afterall, ISPs remain commercial entities and need to show some return for their investors.
Spotted Swish Fibre outside my house today in Farncombe (village next to Godalming) today. They had 5 vans (one carrying what looked like a white exchange cabinet on the back) so I’m assuming they’re proceeding here at pace. Couldn’t come sooner as we’ve had a widespread internet outage for 5 days now and OpenReach haven’t bothered to turn up on 3 occasions when booked – the whole neighborhood is furious! Hoping I can be on fibre soon just to be done with OpenReach and their terrible service.
I spoke to the Hey Broadband engineers the other day and they say they are close to going live in Nightingale Road (Godalming).
Does anyone know if any FTTP providers are looking to service Petworth Road, Witley? It sort of falls under Godalming. Nearest FTTC exchange to me is Wormley, some distance away. Would love an FTTP connection.