Hyperoptic ramps up FTTH distribution

UK incumbent BT is facing growing competition in the fibre broadband market from fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) vendor Hyperoptic. The FTTH specialist focuses on delivering fibre broadband directly to consumer premises in newly built homes.

Four new cities have been added to Hyperoptic’s nationwide “hyper-cities club” as the telco has targeted half a million homes by 2018. Local demand has seen Newcastle, Sheffield, Birmingham and Nottingham join Glasgow as the latest cities to join Hyperoptic’s network, which currently serves 75,000 homes across the UK.

The company claims that its gigabit footprint now extends across London, Cardiff and Bristol, with live installations being conducted in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Reading. In order to enable FTTH, Hyperoptic partners with building management companies to install fibre optic capabilities into new builds.

The service enables 1Gbps connections to the residential premises, as ever more devices, streaming services and data is consumed. Managing Director of Hyperoptic, Dana Tobak, believes FTTH infrastructure is essential for forward facing services: “Our mission is to provide a true fibre infrastructure, which empowers residents to future-proof their online lives,” she said. “In today’s age, broadband should be an enabler, not a hindrance. A fast, consistent, dependable fibre connection is now essential for entertainment, socialising and work.”

Meanwhile, Communications Minister Ed Vaizey believes gigabit speeds are a core necessity for the UK’s next generation network infrastructure: “Cutting-edge technology is the foundation for growth and innovation and today’s announcement is fantastic news for Newcastle, Sheffield, Birmingham and Nottingham,” he said.

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BT recently revealed the results of its G.fast field trials, claiming that 1Gbps can be delivered through a mix of both fibre and copper. However, the differentiating factor between the approach of BT and Hyperoptic appears to be the point to which the connection is delivered. BT’s G.fast approach delivers 1Gbps to the cabinet, or distribution point, therefore connection speeds are reduced depending on customer proximity. With FTTH, faster and more stable connectivity is delivered by bringing fibre directly into the premises.

While FTTH is responsible for a small percentage of consumer broadband connections today, Hyperoptic is positioning itself to provide competition to BT in the future as demand for new properties, and ultra-fast broadband, continues to grow.