LilaConnect Brings FTTP Broadband Build to Haverhill in Suffolk

Network provider LilaConnect (subsidiary of Swedish provider VXFIBER) has today announced the start of a new build across the market town of Haverhill in Suffolk (England), which will see their “open access” and gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network cover 12,000 premises.

The first areas of Haverhill are expected to go live in January 2023, with all premises having access to the new network by June 2023. The move complements their other deployments in the Staffordshire cities and towns of Stoke-on-Trent, Leek, Cannock and Penkridge, as well as the Essex town of Colchester, parts of London (via Prime Fibre), Crewe and Nantwich in Cheshire (here) and not to mention their projects in Bristol and Uttoxeter.

The catch is that LilaConnect won’t be the only gigabit-capable network in the town. Openreach already has strong FTTP coverage in the location, while LightSpeed Broadband recently added Haverhill to their own rollout plan and FibreNest also covers one of Persimmon Homes’ outlying new build estates. Two or three other full fibre altnets also exist nearby, such as County Broadband and Gigaclear, but they’ve yet to enter the town itself.

Locals will undoubtedly be affected whilst the fibre optic cables are being laid (this can be quite a disruptive and noisy process), but LilaConnect said they make it an “absolute priority” to ensure that work is carried out as quickly and efficiently as possible. Dedicated cleaning teams will also be employed to sweep, pickup litter, and jet wash pavements and driveways once reinstated tarmac has settled (they can also wash windows and cars if necessary).

Sarah Grange, Head of Deployments at LilaConnect, said:

“We’re proud to be bringing the LilaConnect gigabit full fibre network to Haverhill to ensure all residents have access to the best-in-class full fibre internet connectivity. It’s a big leap forward in our progress to ensure that the whole region can benefit from first-class connectivity that is future-proofed for the decades to come. With all essential features such as stability, security, and reliability, in addition to being lightning-fast, the LilaConnect network is set to help businesses to flourish and residents to thrive in today’s digital age.”

Using Air Broadband – one of several supportive ISPs – as an example, residential prices start at around £37.50 per month for 500Mbps (100Mbps upload) on a 24-month term and that goes up to £39.98 for 1Gbps, although the exact packages and prices may vary between providers. In addition, they offer a 100Mbps social tariff for those on benefits, which costs from £20 per month. There’s also the opportunity to add phone services.