LilaConnect Begins Gigabit FTTP Broadband Rollout in Uttoxeter

Network provider LilaConnect, which is a subsidiary of Swedish operator VXFIBER, has today announced that they’ve officially started to deploy their new “open access” and gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network in the Staffordshire (England) market town of Uttoxeter.

At present the operator is already deploying their new full fibre network across several areas of the UK, including in the Staffordshire city of Stoke-on-Trent (100,000 premises – here), the town of Colchester in Essex (8,000 premises – here), parts of London (3,000 premises via Prime Fibre) and the towns of Crewe and Nantwich in Cheshire (here). Bristol is also part of their plan.

By comparison, Uttexetor is a good 16 miles from their Stoke-on-Trent build and is home to a local population of around 13,000. Construction of the new network has already started in the town and the first premises should be able to go live from “early 2022“, with completion expected to follow by the “end of 2022“.

LilaConnect’s UK FTTP broadband network has so far covered over 50,000 premises across 4 counties in England and this new build will soon be adding to that.

Brett Shepherd, MD of LilaConnect, said:

“Accelerated by the global pandemic, a fast and reliable broadband connection has shifted from being a luxury to an essential utility. But it’s much more than just streaming video and music or online shopping, it’s also about transforming communities with improvements such as better access to employment, education, and healthcare.

Having an open access full fibre network will future-proof Uttoxeter’s digital infrastructure and provide the reliability and bandwidth that is invaluable to residents and businesses in the town.”

In terms of local competition, only Openreach has a small patch of gigabit-capable FTTP in one corner of the town, which means that it’s a reasonably good bet for VXFIBER and LilaConnect to invest. Customers can expect to pay from around £24.98 per month for an unlimited 250Mbps package with free installation on an 18-month term, which rises to just £29.98 for their top gigabit (1Gbps) package.