Hyperoptic, a UK fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) services provider, says it has signed more than 30 of the most significant property developments across London to its hyper-fast 1-Gbps broadband service.
The symmetric 1-Gbps service is the fastest residential broadband speed in the UK, 10X the speed of the nearest major competitor, and more than 100X faster than the UK’s average broadband speed, Hyperoptic asserts.
Hyperoptic has also passed its first milestone, reaching over 10,000 homes across 12 London boroughs, which include: Barnet, Croydon, Greenwich, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth, and Westminster.
By the end of 2012, Hyperoptic predicts it will have serviced 20,000 homes, 100 major property developments and, in the next five years, it forecasts that its 1-Gbps connections will be available to over half a million homes.
As broadband connectivity starts to affect occupancy rates and directly inform a tenant’s or prospective homeowner's decision to purchase, it is increasing having an effect on the property sector. Recent reports suggest that homebuyers would pay 5% more for a property that was serviced by hyper-fast broadband (see “UK house hunters seek out broadband”).
Hyperoptic has formalized contracts with a number of property organizations to fuel the roll-out of the UK's fastest broadband speeds. Notable partnerships include Stonedale, part of the Peverel Group, property managers for some of the most exceptional buildings in London, and City and Docklands Property Group, developers of some of London's most sought-after residential premises.
Gary Sacks, managing director at City and Docklands, said, "The broadband issues in the Docklands have been incredibly frustrating for us, so we are thrilled to be working with Hyperoptic to now provide our residents with the fastest broadband in the UK. We are working with Hyperoptic to supply its hyper-fast connection across our portfolio and integrate as part of our new developments moving forwards, which include iconic developments that are scheduled to launch in 2013 – the Pump House, Royal Docks, and Canary Gateway."
"There is a clear need for speed in the UK,” commented Boris Ivanovic, founder and chairman at Hyperoptic. “It's widely understood that the UK is one of the biggest users of technology, with the Internet contributing more to its economy than any other country in the world, accounting for nearly 8.3% of GDP. Having the infrastructure to support this growth is paramount, although previously the focus has only been on hitting coverage – meaning the UK doesn't make the top 15 countries for broadband speeds.
"The Government recently accepted that speed is a key issue and fiber-to-the-cabinet was a temporary stepping stone to fiber-to-the-home. We are thrilled to have this recognized and already be setting an example to the rest of the industry, and indeed other metropolises who want to enter the digital age. We continue to be inundated with requests for our hyper-fast speeds from across the UK - watch this space for news on our expansion to other cities later this year," Ivanovic concluded.
For more information on FTTx/access systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.