Connexin Connect First Customer to New FTTP Network in Hull UK UPDATE

Well, that didn’t take long! Broadband ISP Connexin, which at the end of last year started work on their £80m project to build a new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network to unseat KCOM’s “broadband monopoly” in Hull and East Yorkshire (here and here), has now connected their first customer.

Emma Page, a healthcare worker from East Hull, has officially become the first user of the new full-fibre network, which is said to be “the first and fastest of its kind in the area.” Sadly, we can’t check this because Connexin still hasn’t yet said precisely where they’ve gone live, or indeed, intend to go live next (i.e. a rollout plan and timescale would be nice to see).

However, the latest achievement was apparently celebrated at a launch event, where Emma and her partner Dean were presented with 6-months of free service to access Connexin’s “hyper-fast broadband.” The announcement states that Emma is saving over £20 per month compared to her previous package, but once again, this is hard to judge because there are no package details showing on their website, and in order to check you first need to know where they’ve gone live (postcode).

Furqan Alamgir, Founder and CEO of Connexin, said:

“Connecting the first customer to our new full-fibre network is not just a momentous occasion for Connexin, but also for Hull and East Riding. It signals the beginning of the end of the region’s broadband monopoly and the introduction of choice for people, bringing real change to the area.

We have exciting things planned and as we continue to roll-out the network, which will be the fastest across the region, we can’t wait to welcome more customers and to provide homes and businesses with access to ultra and hyper fast broadband at a competitive price, with superior customer service.”

We should point out that Connexin is not the only gigabit-capable broadband operator trying to crack KCOM’s local monopoly. Both MS3 (here) and Grain (here) have also recently announced major network expansion programmes in the area, and there’s a possibility that Quickline may join them (here).

UPDATE 10:29am

Good news, we’ve had it confirmed that the first customer went live in Saddleworth Close. As a result, we can now confirm that prices start at £37.50 per month on an 18-month term for an unlimited package with speeds of 125Mbps, a WiFi 6 router and free installation. Prices rise to £49.99 per month for their top 1000Mbps package.

UPDATE 1st Feb 2022

Local residents have informed us that a lot of the work is currently taking place around the Kingswood area of North Hull, with Kestevan Way and Wawne Road set to see activity over the next fortnight. But a lot of the build seems to involve the deployment of telegraph poles, often in areas that haven’t previously had them, which appears to be causing a somewhat predictable backlash from some residents on Facebook groups.