B4RN Welcomes 15,000th Customer to Rural FTTP Broadband Network

Alternative rural broadband ISP B4RN (Broadband for the Rural North), which is a community benefit society that has so far built their 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network to cover 30,000 premises across England, has today announced that they’ve just connected their 15,000th customer (up from 14,000 a year ago).

The provider is a registered Community Benefit Society (i.e. they can’t be bought by a commercial operator and profits go back into the community) that has already expanded their full fibre network to cover various remote rural parts of Lancashire, Cheshire, Cumbria, Northumberland, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Yorkshire, Northumberland and County Durham – often with the direct help of local volunteers.

The announcement means that the project, which started all the way back in 2011, continues to deliver a strong average take-up of 50% and tends to expand the coverage of their network about twice as fast as the number of homes they connect to it. But the operator does eventually expect to cover 40,000 to 50,000 premises (RFS) in total once their existing plans reach completion.

B4RN may not be the biggest of alternative networks in terms of their premises passed figures, but their focus on remote rural areas means that they run an extremely large fibre network in terms of geographic reach. Suffice to say that premises passed doesn’t tell the whole story when it comes to rural coverage. This provider is much bigger than it looks.

B4RN Statement

None of this would have happened without the incredible efforts of our volunteers, landowners, contractors, staff, and members over the years. From digging the first trenches to helping their neighbours get connected, the B4RN community has always been at the heart of our success.

We’re also proud to acknowledge the important role of the BDUK UK Gigabit Voucher Scheme, which has provided vital support in helping many rural communities access affordable gigabit-capable broadband. By working together with government initiatives and local communities, we’ve been able to reach places that otherwise might still be left behind.

Hitting 15,000 customers gives us even more strength to continue expanding, reaching places others won’t, and ensuring rural areas receive the digital future they deserve.

We’re not stopping here. The demand for fast, reliable broadband continues to grow, and our mission is to ensure that no community is left behind. With more projects already underway and new areas in planning, we will continue to build, connect, and prove that rural communities deserve the very best.