G.Network Partners Islington Council and GLA to Extend Full Fibre

Broadband ISP G.Network, which is rolling out a new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network to homes and businesses across parts of London, has agreed a new partnership (wayleave) with Islington Council and the Greater London Authority (GLA) to cover “thousands” of additional homes and reduce disruption.

The press release notes that “less than half of Islington premises can currently access a full fibre connection,” although it’s worth pointing out that this is more like 90% when you include Virgin Media’s existing gigabit-capable broadband network. Nevertheless, there’s clearly still a gap left to fill, and the new master wayleave agreement may help to solve some of that in Islington.

Sadly, we aren’t told precisely how many premises in the borough will benefit, although the partnership also includes free fast broadband connections for a number of community facilities. Customers in social housing will no doubt also welcome the extra option of G.Network’s 50Mbps social tariff (£15 per month).

G.Network’s work in Islington is now being mirrored across the capital, with the full fibre provider collaborating with the GLA and other stakeholders on the ‘Dig-Once’ approach, which aims to reduce disruption, congestion and economic losses sometimes associated with infrastructure delivery. By working closely with the GLA, the operator has already been able to save 250 days of disruption to local London communities.

Kevin Murphy, CEO of G.Network, said:

“At G.Network, it’s our mission to provide Londoners with faster, more reliable broadband at an affordable price – and establishing and maintaining our status as a trusted partner to local authorities across London is core to fulfilling that. Many of London’s residents still rely on outdated broadband that simply isn’t fit for modern life. We’re therefore delighted to be working alongside authorities like Islington Council and the GLA to upgrade connectivity while minimising disruption so that residents and wider communities across the capital can make the most of our powerful 100% fibre broadband.”

The operator, which originally claimed to be committing around £1bn to support an aspiration for extending their full fibre network to cover 1.3 million premises in London by the end of 2026, has recently had a bit of a rough time due to funding problems, job cuts and a slowdown in their build (here). But the situation has since improved after more funding was secured and management changes were made.

The last build update we had from G.Network, in 2022, stated that they had covered 400,000 premises. But independent checking has – as of July 2023 – so far only been able to identify around 255,000 as being ready for service (here). Residential customers typically pay from £22 per month for a 150Mbps (50Mbps upload) package on a 24-month contract term (inc. £29 one-off installation fee), which rises to £48 for their top 1Gbps (symmetric) tier.