G.Network to Build FTTP Broadband for 20,000 Westminster Flats

UK ISP G.Network has today announced that they’ve signed a new deal with the Westminster local authority in London, which will see their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network being extended across over 1,800 extra buildings, encompassing nearly 20,000 social housing flats over the next 3 years.

At present the provider, which is investing £1bn to build a 10Gbps capable full fibre broadband network across London (here), has already managed to cover c.240,000 premises in the city. But G.Network’s longer-term aim is to reach a total of 1.4 million homes and businesses over the next 5 years (here).

Back in 2017, only about 10% of all properties in Westminster were able to access full fibre broadband. Since then, G.Network say they’ve been rolling out to local businesses and the private rented sector in Westminster. “The average download speed has nearly doubled to 45Mbps and over half of Westminster premises now have access to a full fibre connection,” said the ISP, while adding that they’ve now installed broadband to over 160km of Westminster streets and dug past 80,000 premises in the borough.

We should point out that other operators, such as Virgin Media, Openreach, Hyperoptic and CommunityFibre, have also been active in that same borough over that same period. Sadly, the announcement doesn’t clarify precisely what sort of agreement has been reached, although such things usually involve a special wayleave (legal land/property access) agreement to help reduce costs and speed up the rollout.

David Sangster, G.Network Chief Operating Officer, said:

“This is a milestone for G.Network and for Westminster residents. Over the past few years, we’ve made great strides to upgrade broadband connections across Westminster. We’re delighted that we can now bring reliable, affordable connectivity to every tenant of Westminster Council as well as those in the private rented sector.

We know that many people have suffered with poor broadband, particularly during the pandemic, and we can’t wait to start upgrading them.”

Councillor David Harvey, Cabinet Member for Housing, said:

“Westminster City Council is committed to building a Smart City by investing in new technology to enhance services and improve the lives of our residents. I am therefore proud to be working in partnership with G.Network to roll-out full fibre broadband across all social housing in Westminster, ensuring all residents have access to a fast, reliable broadband connection.”

Customers of the new network tend to pay from £22 per month for an unlimited 150Mbps (50Mbps upload) package, which includes a free connection and wireless router. Prices then go up to £48 per month for their top symmetric speed 900Mbps (gigabit) package. Anybody taking a 24-month term will also currently benefit from a 6-month discount (e.g. the £48 900Mbps package falls to £22 for the first 6 months).

G.Network is also building its network on an “Open Access” basis, which means that other ISPs could potentially serve their customers via the new infrastructure. On the other hand, attracting rival providers to such networks can be difficult when the builder is also acting as a consumer ISP.