Connect Fibre FTTP to Go Live in Cambridgeshire’s Sutton-in-the-Isle

Cambridgeshire-based UK ISP Connect Fibre (Fibre Assets Ltd.), which aims to build a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to cover 100,000 premises across the East of England, has announced that their first non-trial build in the village of Sutton-in-the-Isle will start connecting homes in June.

The operator first sprang to life all the way back in 2019 by rolling out a new open access (wholesale) full fibre network – using XGS-PON fibre kit from ADTRAN – across the small East Cambridgeshire village of Reach (via local ISP partner Air Broadband). But we didn’t hear from them again until February 2022, when they announced having secured an unspecified, but “significant“, amount of funding from the Foresight Group (here).

The new funding has enabled Connect Fibre to begin the commercial phase of their build, which will target broadband speeds of up to 1Gbps to over 100,000 homes and businesses “currently served by ageing copper infrastructure” in the East of England region. The first community to benefit from this will be the large village of Sutton-in-the-Isle, which is home to around 4,000 people (i.e. it’s a bigger build than you may think).

Construction is also said to be “underway in several other towns” across the county, although the operator has yet to name them.

Stefan Stanislawski, Connect Fibre Co-founder and CEO, said:

“Connect Fibre’s unmatchable combination of hyperfast full fibre, unbeatable service levels, and fair prices will allow local communities to unlock a myriad of new opportunities. We are on a mission to bring the best broadband to those communities that need it most. I am proud that Sutton-in-the-Isle will be the first of many towns to benefit from our advanced network.”

Interestingly, the new packages are being sold directly by Connect Fibre, acting as a retail ISP, which could indicate that they may have shelved their original wholesale approach. Customers can expect to pay from £25 per month for an unlimited 50Mbps (symmetric speed) package on an 18-month term, which rises to £50 for their top 900Mbps plan. All packages include a Wi-Fi 6 router (Mesh system can also be optionally added for another £8), UK support and free setup.

We should add that the ISP makes a strong price commitment too – “Unlike other providers, we won’t penalise you for loyalty. When you renew your contract, you don’t pay any more than a new customer would.” This doesn’t mean that your prices won’t rise, but you will be treated the same as a new customer, and thus the usual concerns over “loyalty penalties” shouldn’t apply.

UPDATE 10:23am

Connect Fibre has informed us that they’re doing both wholesale and retail access on their network.