Jurassic Fibre Extend 1Gb Broadband Rollout to Cornwall UK

Exeter-based broadband ISP Jurassic Fibre, which is investing to build a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across South West England (Devon, Somerset and Dorset), has today announced the extension of their rollout into Cornwall – starting with the seaside town of Bude.

The operator is currently being supported by an investment of £250m from Fern Trading, which is fuelling their ambition to cover 500,000 premises across the region by the end of 2025 (including 30 towns and villages). So far they’ve already completed coverage to 100,000 premises (across 21 towns and villages), which is up sharply from the 75,000 they reported in March 2022.

In terms of their plans for Bude, today’s announcement doesn’t tell us anything about how many premises will be reached in the town or how long it will take to complete, but they do say that their first Point of Presence (PoP) site is already live, and the main build will “start this autumn“. Assuming all goes to plan, then the first homes and businesses are expected to be live “before the end of the year“.

Residential customers on the network will be able to order a 150Mbps (30Mbps upload) package from just £20 per month on a 24-month discount (£35 thereafter) – this includes a router and free standard installation, which rises to just £40 per month if you want their top 950Mbps (200Mbps upload) tier (£80 after the first 24-months).

Paul Hellings, JF’s CEO, said:

“We are committed to supporting the digital growth of the South West by connecting traditionally overlooked areas to our full fibre broadband network. We are delighted to announce this first step into Cornwall, and this milestone is testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, who are working tirelessly to get homes connected and bring local communities up to speed when it comes to broadband.

Bude is one of the South West’s top tourist destinations, and our network will support the advancement of the town’s key economic sectors and improve the lives of the people who live and work there.

We look forward to unveiling further announcements soon, on when homes and businesses in Bude and other areas can get connected.”

The press release highlights a study by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), which suggests that the areas surrounding Bude are deemed some of the remotest areas in the country, “ranking as the most cut-off locations from key services such as schools, GP surgeries, food shops, major railway stations and airports out of 32,844 neighbourhoods in England.”

However, it’s worth noting that Openreach are also busy deploying their own full fibre network across Bude and its surrounding areas, although they’re currently the only major FTTP operator with any significant coverage in that area. As such, Jurassic Fibre will be well-placed to bring some much-needed competition – at infrastructure level – to local properties. But to make that stick they may need to soften the blow from their post-contract pricing (i.e. £80 for 950Mbps is now considered expensive).