UK ISP Truespeed, which is currently focused on deploying a 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across rural parts of Bath and Somerset (England), has today announced that they’re investing a further £8m from their budget to extend across additional premises in 5 towns and villages.
The operator, which has so far covered 200 communities across Somerset and last year confirmed that they held an “ambitious target to reach 500,000 properties within the next five years” (i.e. by the end of 2026), is currently being funded by a £175m investment from Aviva.
The good news is that a further 9,500 premises (homes and businesses) across the towns and villages of Peasedown St John, Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Keynsham and Saltford have now been added to their rollout plan (Truespeed already has an existing network in part of the last three locations).
Building and planning works are already well underway across all five areas. Customers in Peasedown St John, Saltford and Keynsham can expect to be connected in mid-summer, followed closely by Radstock and Midsomer Norton going live by late summer 2022.
James Lowther, CEO of Truespeed, said:
“We’re pleased to be expanding our existing network in Radstock, Keynsham and Saltford so more people can benefit from Truespeed’s ultra-reliable, full fibre connectivity. Expanding into new areas including Peasedown St John and Midsomer Norton will provide homes and businesses with greater access to ultrafast broadband that is essential in everyday life.
Truespeed is working hard to provide an exceptional broadband experience for all our customers and improve connectivity throughout the region.”
Customers of the service typically pay from £40 per month for a symmetric speed 150Mbps package on an 18-month contract term (currently discounted to £25), which rises to £70 for their top 900Mbps tier (currently discounted to £49). The service also includes a free phone service, installation and a heavily restricted router. Currently, you can also get the first 3 months of service for free.
The ISP has also frozen their prices until May 2023 and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
UPDATE 11:09am
Truespeed has informed us, for the first time, that they’ve so far completed coverage to 40,000 premises, which we note is somewhat below their original target of 75,000 by the end of 2021 – set some years earlier. Nobody ever said that rural FTTP builds were easy.. or quick.
How is their CDS work going?
Answers on a postcard please.
I see with inflation increasing so dramatically it’s being said all these alt nets will be the next companies to go bust in their droves, like the smaller energy suppliers. It wouldn’t surprise me, and their goes all the fibre broadband too where Open Reach doesn’t want to go. Fingers crossed they don’t go bust.
Fibre providers who provide a service on an asset that does not need to be produced once it’s in place are not the same as energy suppliers who constantly need to source/produce energy in an environment where govt regulations and external factors heavily impact said production.
They are not comparable
@John, inflation affects every business.
http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2022/05/ofcom-and-bt-reportedly-prep-contingency-plans-for-altnet-flops.html
Increase in costs is an increase in costs no matter where the source is.
@you sure, but I’m saying there are no costs associated with producing energy that energy companies have.
To make it easier to understand, to keep providing internet to a person through FTTP, the only expense is pretty much the rare service call and maintenance. To keep providing electricity, the company needs to keep producing more energy. Politicians have blundered energy production so it rose exponentially. Internet providers are nowhere near as affected by energy prices going up. Thus, not comparable
@John BP and Shell would prove otherwise to your first sentence, due to all the gas and oil rigs and processing plants they own, as would companies like Ecotricity who build and run solar and wind farms. So your argument falls flat really.