Sunningdale Solutions to Build FTTP Broadband in Rural Lancashire

A Warrington-based company called Sunningdale Solutions has revealed that they’re planning to build a new gigabit-capable UK Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to serve homes and businesses in rural parts of Lancashire (England), which may be complemented by a Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) network in certain locations.

The plan was revealed as part of the company’s application for Code Powers from Ofcom. Such powers are typically sought to help speed-up deployments of new fibre and cut costs, not least by reducing the number of licenses needed for street works. The powers can also help with supporting access to run new fibre via Openreach’s (BT) existing cable ducts and poles (PIA), which is something Sunningdale Solutions intends to harness.

At the time of writing, there’s still very little information available on Sunningdale Solutions, which is a small company that was first incorporated on 18th June 2020 (here) and is home to two Directors – Michael Taylor and Sharon Taylor.

The plan seems to be for the company to build and then sell retail and wholesale broadband services over the new network, which seems set to focus on areas of Lancashire that currently lack any FTTP coverage.

Code Powers Statement

The Applicant has stated that it intends to deploy its network in rural areas of Lancashire currently not served by such networks which suffer from slow broadband speeds and a lack of provider choice. It considers that people and businesses would benefit from the introduction of ultrafast full-fibre broadband services.

The Applicant also intends to provide other communications providers with access to the backhaul network that it intends to deploy to support its access network. It considers that this will allow a broader range of services offerings to the local economy and increased competition with improved connectivity.

However, Companies House describes the nature of this business as being a “management consultancy“, which engages in “activities other than financial management.” Suffice to say that it’s unclear what kind of network ownership and build structure will be involved here, and we also couldn’t find a website for the company. But hopefully more information will surface in the near future.