Broadband ISP Airband Refreshes Brand and Fixes UK Prices
Rural focused broadband ISP Airband, which has deployed a mix of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) networks across various parts of the country, has today launched somewhat of a brand and package refresh as part of their plan to achieve a “ten fold increase in its customer base in the next 3 years.”
The provider, which is backed by Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) and last year secured a £100m debt package from an international banking consortium (HSBC, Lloyds, Nord LB and Sabadell), currently aims to cover 675,000 UK premises with their network by the end of 2025 (mostly across West England, the Home Counties and Wales).
Airband has had a fair bit of success in recent years, not least by expanding their commercial deployments and securing a number of state aid funded deployment contracts, such as in Devon and Somerset. The company notes that they’ve already had over 100% year-on-year growth in customer numbers for the last 4 years (2018 – 2019 160%, 2019 – 2020 154%, 2020 – 2021 221% and 2021 – 2022 219%).
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As part of the new re-brand, Airband also said that its customers would be “guaranteed no price hikes during [their] contract length“. But just in case that wasn’t clear enough, they’ve expressed this all via a new TV advert too..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKA5gbe85W0
Will Harnden, Airband chief commercial officer, said:
“Brits are facing more than a winter of discontent with price hikes seemingly hitting every part of their life. The least we can do is offer stability with a fixed price for their broadband and a ‘no price hike’ guarantee for their contract length.
We also remain committed to connecting places that others can’t reach and bringing all the benefits that reliable broadband brings to homes and businesses alike. Our marketing campaign is further investment by the business in reaching our goals of reaching 675,000 potential homes and connecting 125,000 customers by 2025.”
In terms of Airband’s packages. Prices now start at £25 per month for a 40Mbps connection on their wireless network via an 18-month term, although the same money will get you speeds of 150Mbps on their full fibre platform and that goes up to £55 for their top 900Mbps tier. All with free installation.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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Airband and Airbroadband both similar names, can be confusing!
Didn’t think their earlier guarantee of no price increase ever would last long in the current climate…
Spending more government and investor money rebranding isn’t going to change the bad name Airband has made for it’s self. Wasting investors money on poor,inadequate infrastructure
Using government funding for commercial projects. Seems fishy…..
Stealing people from competitors with offers of big pay packets
Bad company with bad ideas stay clear
I think it’s referred to as polishing a turd. Dreadful organisation.
Funny that, Redmond Peel’s brother in law uses the same statement, and he’s a project manager for airband and “ polishes a turd “ to CDS ( connecting Devon and Somerset ).
The organisation is toxic, in 6 months they have lost all loyal staff, lost millions of pounds of investors money, lost hundreds of thousand of pounds worth of stock and tools.
LOST THE PLOT !!
Delivering nothing in way of investment return, building an inferior network whilst abusing the Openreach network, paying contractors to sit at home doing nothing, government funding being wasted in a cost of living crisis.
Devon and Somerset councils imposed improvement notices for poor inadequate work and planning, no health and safety endangering their workforce and the public. The list goes on and on….. prime time Tv advert and rebranding, clutching at straws.
“Anything from day-to-day surfing, checking emails and reasonable downloading/streaming is perfectly fine – but downloading several huge files such as HD movies each day, particularly at peak evening times, is unfair” The FUP seems pretty shit especially for a fibre “unlimited” plan
I must admit that I find the “why can’t I do exactly as I want?” whinging extremely tedious. Yes, perhaps it shouldn’t be acceptable to use an “unlimited” label, but if you don’t like it, feel free to take your business elsewhere. IMO, FUPs on domestic contended connections are perfectly reasonable. What would be your proposed alternative?
They have good intentions, but they don’t seem to understand that you can’t just remove anything you want when building a network, they’ve already taken out trees from next door without permission!
(CDS) Conning Devon and Somerset need to investigate this Airband. All we hear is bad press after bad press. By what we are hearing the company is a health and safety risk and accident waiting to happen.
#Broadband just got good, Phaa, You’ve stolen that from Sky’s, Sky cinema just got good.
First Stealing staff from competitors now Stealing advertisements from them too.
Is there anything you wouldn’t do make an extra buck…
Inadequate management that lie to staff and customers to line there own dirty corrupt pockets
You have a valid point Mike. Being a soon to be ex employee of this company. The new management team are draining funds fast. Taking bribes, over budget, delivering nothing.
They have employed thier friends and me and my colleagues are going to be pushed out.
Rumour has it, Senior managers taking the administration team out for drinks and being real sleazy with them. They should be job hunting….instead Redmond Peel and his team brushed it under the rug.
Drink and drug testing should be mandatory especially for the management team!!!!
Just had a salesman call. Said it was fixed price ‘forever’. Did not seem to know that it was now just for the length of the contract. Also said I could keep my phone and number. Did not say I would have to find a VOiP provider for another £6+ per month. Fortunately I never buy at the door…