Zzoomm Builds FTTP Broadband Network into Staffordshire UK

UK ISP Zzoomm has today revealed that their new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network will shortly be expanding into Staffordshire (England), specifically thousands of homes and businesses within the town of Cannock, which is home to a local population of c.30,000.

At present the operator, which is backed by an “initial” investment of £100m from Oaktree Capital Management (here), has several active deployments in various semi-rural towns and parishes across parts of Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Herefordshire, North Yorkshire and Cheshire (e.g. Henley-on-Thames, Hereford, Ascot, Thirsk and Crewe).

The latest location to join that list is Cannock in Staffordshire, where Zzoomm intend to build their network across 37,000 premises. Work on this is due to start sometime in 2021, although an exact date is not stated. The local rollout will also provide career opportunities to more than 100 people in the civils, construction and administration roles.

Residential customers can expect to pay from £29 per month for a 100Mbps package and that goes up to £99 if you want their top 2Gbps tier, which also happens to be one of the fastest home packages available.

Matthew Hare, Zzoomm’s CEO, said:

“The construction of our brilliant fast network in Cannock is a watershed. For the first time, homes and businesses in Cannock will have a choice of network. And what a choice: brilliant Full Fibre for fast, reliable broadband at home and at work. We cannot wait to bring our Zzoomm service to the residents and business owners in Cannock who have had to endure slow and unreliable connections and questionable customer service for too long.

Lockdown has accelerated the move to more flexible working arrangements. It has boosted our demand for online entertainment and distance learning. Zzoomm’s new Full Fibre network delivers for residents and businesses. Our network will help catapult Cannock into the forefront of the best-connected towns in the North, the UK and the world.”

In terms of local competition, Cannock is surrounded by areas with access to gigabit-capable broadband from Virgin Media (HFC / FTTP) and Openreach (FTTP), although the town itself seems to lack such connectivity. On the other hand, Openreach did last year pledge to deploy FTTP across the town by 2024 (here) and Hyperoptic’s FTTB network is present in a few larger apartment blocks.