Gigabit FTTP Broadband in Wingrave Finally Going Live via Ecom

After a long wait, UK ISP Ecom has finally started to connect the first properties in the rural Buckinghamshire (England) village of Wingrave – home to a local population of around 1,500 – to their new 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network.

The provider, which was previously aiming to cover 2,500 premises with their new “full fibre” network by the end of 2021 (they’ve so far achieved 1,000), began trying to entice residents away from Openreach’s slower FTTC network back in 2020 (here) – Ecom offered them the ability to take their unlimited 300Mbps (50Mbps upload) package at just £10 per month for 12 months (£36 thereafter).

The good news is that the operator was soon able to start deploying their network toward the village and, after recently blowing the first fibre cable along the spine of their network from Castle Street, they’ve now finally started to go live in the community (a handful of homes are live). We should point out that Ecom are not using any of Openreach’s existing cable ducts (PIA), which keeps their network as independent as possible.

On top of this, the provider has confirmed that the next two communities in Bucks to benefit from their FTTP build will be Steeple Claydon (some limited coverage already exists) and Mursley. The ISP also intends to expand their existing deployment in Blackthorn (Oxfordshire), so that all houses within the village are covered within the next 12-months.

Ecom’s Current Areas of Operational Network Coverage

Whitchurch and surrounding areas, near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

Oakwood Enterprise Park, Leighton Buzzard, Buckinghamshire

Wingbury Courtyard Business Centre, near Wingrave, Buckinghamshire

Wing Airfield Industrial Area (including Acorn Farm Business Centre), Buckinghamshire

Ledburn, Mentmore and Crafton, Buckinghamshire

Blackthorn, Oxforshire (partial coverage)

Hillesden (including Hillesden Hamlet), Buckinghamshire

Steeple Claydon, Buckinghamshire (partial coverage)

Hulcott, near Bierton, Buckinghamshire

Interchange Park in Newport Pagnell

Despite being a fairly small provider, it’s worth considering that rural builds like this tend to be slow and require a lot of optical fibre, which needs to be stretched over masses of countryside in order to reach disadvantaged communities. As such, Ecom’s physical network is a lot larger than it may seem.