Gigaclear Expand FTTP Broadband Build to 4 Oxfordshire Villages

Rural UK broadband ISP Gigaclear has announced that, as part of their £84 million investment to deploy a gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across Oxfordshire (England), the provider now expects to reach several thousand additional premises across four villages.

Engineering work is already taking place to connect more than 2,400 homes in Adderbury and Hook Norton to their full fibre network (1,300 homeowners in Adderbury are already covered). But that project, once completed, is now also expected to pave the way for around 1,500 properties in Bloxham and a further 500 in Milcombe to be connected to their broadband network.

However, we did notice something else interesting in the footnotes of this announcement: “Gigaclear is on track to meet its business plan objectives to connect 500,000 properties to ultrafast full fibre in 2024“. But previously the 500k target was communicated to us as being due by the end of 2023, not “in 2024“, which suggests a possible delay (we’re checking this now).

Ben Woods, Gigaclear’s Central Delivery Director, said:

“Many residents in Adderbury are already benefitting from access to our full fibre broadband and the plan is to give access to residents across all four villages by the summer. Unlike many other broadband providers who compete to offer their services in dense, urban areas, we focus on harder-to-reach communities that are far less likely to have a choice of supplier.

Having access to reliable and fast broadband speeds is no longer a luxury but is necessary in order for many people to live their lives fully, whether it’s working from home, streaming or accessing other online entertainment.”

Residential customers of the service can currently expect to pay from £17 a month (£40 after 18-months) for a symmetric 200Mbps broadband package on an 18-month term and this rises to £49 (£79 after 18-months) for their top 830Mbps plan. All packages include a wireless router and free installation.

UPDATE 3:11pm

Gigaclear has clarified that they still intend to cover 500,000 premises by the end of 2023, yet this also includes properties that have been covered, but which aren’t yet live for service. The provider expects to reach 500,000 homes ‘Ready for Service’ (RFS) in early 2024.