Full Fibre UK Broadband Builder Quickline Opens New Facility in Leeds

Rural-focused UK ISP Quickline, which is deploying a gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) and fixed wireless (FWA) broadband network across rural parts of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in England, has announced the opening of a new facility and logistics Hub in Leeds to support their ongoing network build and training for future engineers.

The provider is currently being backed by c.£500m from Northleaf Capital Partners and aims to cover 200,000 premises with FTTP by the end of 2025 (up from 65,000 premises in Nov 2023). The operator has previously indicated a desire to cover 500,000 premises using a mix of both wireless and fibre technologies by the end of 2025.

The new site in Leeds is said to form part of the provider’s delivery under Project Gigabit – the UK Government funded programme enabling hard-to-reach communities to access fast, reliable, gigabit-capable broadband and reaching parts of the UK that might otherwise miss out on upgrades to next-generation speeds.

The four state-aid funded Project Gigabit contracts Quickline holds are aiming to cover 180,000 premises by completion around 2027/28, and they aspire to add another 200,000 commercial premises that will be wrapped around the publicly funded build. This is on top of their existing commercial deployments in other areas.

Sean Royce, CEO of Quickline, added:

“This new facility is a key part of our mission to connect rural communities across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. By bringing materials closer to where we work, we’re increasing efficiency and reducing emissions. More importantly, we’re investing in people – creating a place to train, inspire and support the digital pioneers, entrepreneurs and engineers of tomorrow.”

Telecoms Minister, Sir Chris Bryant, said:

“Quickline’s new training centre in Leeds exemplifies exactly what Project Gigabit was designed to achieve: bringing lightning-fast broadband to rural communities while creating sustainable jobs, skills, and opportunities for local people, helping us delivering on our Plan for Change.”