Member Article

Worcester among UK’s first cities to get 13x faster broadband speeds

Residents of Worcester will soon be able to enjoy 13x faster broadband speeds, as Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) broadband has been earmarked for the city.

With access to £100m of private funding to support its national roll out, BeFibre has moved a team of broadband engineers into the area, as the firm prepares to deliver fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connectivity for up to 25,000 homes.

Striving to be known as the internet service provider that keeps its promises – and delivers broadband as it should be – BeFibre will offer download and upload speeds up to 13 times faster than the fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) coverage that currently spans the majority of the UK. Such speeds equate to the ability to download a 1-hour TV programme in only 7 seconds, or 500 Spotify songs in 25 seconds, for example.

With the company aiming to reach 80 locations and 1,000,000 premises by 2027, this is significant news for Worcester – a location which has always featured particularly early on the roadmap.

Worcester’s full-fibre network will be planned, built, and operated by BeFibre’s sister company – Digital Infrastructure. Utilising existing ducts without having to dig up the city’s roads, the firm’s strategy is to adopt quicker and less disruptive build methods, to lower roll out costs, increase efficiency, and minimise the environmental impact of the network deployment. The connectivity will be rolled out in a phased programme, with the first homes ready for service late May and the build due to be completed by the end of the year.

Commenting on the roll out, BeFibre’s sales director, Tim Dagnell-Scott, said: “The market is full of jargon such as superfast, ultrafast, and lightning-fast, but what does it all really mean?

“Think of the ability to upload 100 Instagram photos in 5 seconds or an entire new-release PS5 game in only 14 minutes – all without any connectivity worries when you’re trying to work efficiently from home on a video call.

“These are the connectivity demands that increasingly busy homes and businesses are rightfully placing on their broadband providers – only to usually be met by the buffering ‘wheel of doom’. We’re here to deliver the performance improvements customers are looking for.”

The BeFibre team has pledged to have a very visible presence in Worcester, as part of their commitment to becoming part of the community.

“It’s important that we have a visible presence in Worcester from an early stage in our broadband roll out – not least because we want to help bust the myths surrounding internet connectivity,” added Tim. “So many consumers think they have full fibre, for example, but they actually don’t. We’re here to change that. We’ll therefore hold community events to cut through the jargon, answer questions about our service, and speak to people about what broadband really should be like.

“For instance, because our connectivity is full-fibre down the ‘last mile’ – right up to your door – customers enjoy the connectivity they pay for, not merely a proportion of it, as is often the case. You wouldn’t ever accept paying for a full sandwich but only getting to eat half! So why is the internet any different?

“This is a fiercely competitive market, but we’re here to challenge the perception that all ISPs are full of broken promises when it comes to speed, reliability and customer service.”

Offering a concluding thought, BeFibre’s CEO Charlie Ruddy – who has 30 years’ experience in the telecommunications industry – said: “We first embarked on our journey to future-proof the UK’s connectivity back in January 2021, and things are really gathering momentum now.

“We’re providing local communities with a fit-for-the-future infrastructure that delivers the guaranteed speeds people need now and for years to come. This is a brand-new network that will leave a positive legacy in society.”

To find out if you can access BeFibre’s full fibre broadband, visit be-fibre.co.uk/registernow and input your postcode.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Katie Mallinson .