BeFibre reveals full FTTP rollout plan for 2022

Progressive internet service provider BeFibre has announced its full area roll out plan, for the whole of 2022.

Promising to deliver ‘broadband as it should be’, the fast-growing team has already reached several towns across the UK, including Brentwood, Worcester, Clacton on Sea, Hattersley, Ingatestone, Nantwich and Crewe. Oundle, Maltby, Dinnington, Hyde, Heysham and Skelmersdale, are also imminent.

Working in close partnership with sister brand and altnet Digital Infrastructure – to deliver FTTP (fibre-to-the-premises) connectivity using OpenReach’s Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) – BeFibre has now revealed the next locations to receive up to 13x faster broadband. 

Stalybridge, Ramsbottom, Heswall, Dinnington, Glossop and Gamesley, Thornton and Hambleton, Mossley, Wickersley, Hadfield and Hollingworth, have been announced for the North. Gloucester’s Bowden Hall, plus Uppingham, Corby North and Oakham in the centre of England, are also on the 2022 roadmap. 

This could see BeFibre have 200,000 properties ready for service (RFS) by the end of the year.

Commenting on the news, CEO Charlie Ruddy said: “We know this is a bold plan, and it’s not customary for ISPs to reveal their moves ahead of schedule. But broadband needs to change in this country, and we’re passionate about being a part of that. 

“We have recruited at pace since coming to the market only a few months ago, and I’m pleased to now be joined by some very experienced names from the world of telecoms. We’ve also kickstarted a global mobility programme to address the engineering shortage so that we won’t be held back by any resource gaps.”

While this is a commercially ambitious plan, expansion will not be to the detriment of BeFibre’s core values, added Charlie. “From the outset, we’ve talked about positively influencing how communities live, work and play, and that means far more than simply empowering homes with better connectivity. We recently supported Brentwood Borough Council, for example – in the town where our rollout began – to raise more than £17,000 for the British Red Cross DEC Ukraine Appeal. We’re loving the opportunity to truly immerse ourselves in what matters at a hyper-local level.”

With access to an initial £100m of private investment from Basalt Infrastructure Partners, BeFibre aims to create up to 500 engineering and white-collar jobs to support the growth of both organisations and the business supply chain, by the end of 2022. 

The large-scale goal is for BeFibre’s price-competitive symmetrical network to be ready for service in 80 towns and cities – 1,000,000 properties – by 2027.