Thousands of Orbit’s Homes to Gain Access to Lightning Fibre FTTP Network

Blocks of flats across the South East of England, specifically those from UK housing group Orbit, look set to benefit from a “new” plug-and-play solution to full fibre (FTTP) broadband deployment, which is to be delivered by fibre installations specialist Complete Fibre – supported by broadband ISP Lightning Fibre.

Network builder and ISP Lightning Fibre is currently deploying a multi-gigabit speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across parts of Sussex and Kent (England), which makes them a good fit for the new project. At the last update in September 2022, the operator claimed to have covered around 60,000 premises and were initially aiming to reach 140,000 (i.e. this was their fully funded build, rather than a longer-term target). But we haven’t had a solid progress update since then

Under the new deal, Complete Fibre will manage access to the buildings as well as installing a single, open-access ‘plug-and-play’ digital infrastructure within Orbit’s blocks of flats (also known as Multi Dwelling Units, or MDUs), which broadband providers can connect into, to provide full-fibre to residents.

Lightning Fibre is the first ISP to plug into Complete Fibre’s infrastructure in Orbit buildings to provide residents safe, ultra-fast fibre broadband and boost digital inclusivity in the region. Multiple ISPs can connect into Complete Fibre’s plug-and-play solution, offering Orbit’s residents more choice, assuming lots of other ISPs do adopt it.

Tony Clark, Director of Property Operations at Orbit, said:

“In addition to providing quality, safe, and affordable homes, we’re committed to offering wider support to help our customers in their day-to-day lives. Working with Complete Fibre to offer our customers access to reliable, ultra-fast digital connectivity is just one of the ways in which we can help to support them in their work and education, as well as provide them with easier access to community and online services.”

Tim Passingham, Chairman of Lightning Fibre, added:

“We’re committed to driving digital inclusion and bringing hyper fast broadband to communities in the South East. Utilising Complete Fibre, we’re able to give Orbit and their residents access to a choice of providers, and for our part, we’ll do so with a fair pricing model and a keen focus on customer care. This way of working also contributes to Lightning’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions – fewer installations mean less material and more efficient energy usage.”

The announcement doesn’t say precisely how many premises will benefit from this rollout, although Orbit is known to have a growing portfolio of over 46,500 homes spanning across both the Midlands, East and South of England.

Customers of Lightning Fibre typically pay from £24 per month on a 24-month term for a 150Mbps (symmetric) speed package (plus a £48 one-off setup fee), which rises to £39 per month for their top 900Mbps plan with free setup.

The provider also offers a Social Tariff for just £15 per month, which gives those on state benefits a 50Mbps service on a 30-day rolling contract.