Fiber-optic broadband provider Gigaclear Ltd. has confirmed that Otmoor in Oxfordshire, UK, will be next on the fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) service provider’s deployment list. The roll out comprises 700 properties across six of the Otmoor villages, which include Beckley, Elsfield, Horton cum Studley, Noke, Stanton St. John, and Woodeaton.
Gigaclear says the announcement re-enforces the company’s commitment to bring broadband speeds of up to 1 Gbps within easier reach of rural businesses and residents.
The carrier asserts that, despite numerous attempts to enhance the speed of the existing infrastructure, many Otmoor residents reported that the best Internet speeds they could manage were up to 1 Mbps – too slow to stream catch-up TV services such as BBC iPlayer in real time. Frustrated at the limitations of the existing broadband network, the residents decided to look for an alternative.
“We had heard how Gigaclear’s network has successfully transformed Internet access in other Oxfordshire villages, and were interested in replicating this in Otmoor,” said Lorraine Dixon, Otmoor broadband champion. “We held an initial meeting in the village hall and in reality, Gigaclear’s fiber-to-the-home product sold itself. Demand for the network from residents, including young people keen to embrace social media, has been high since the start.”
While most residents plan to use the network for entertainment purposes, for others, it will now provide an opportunity to work from home.
The service also will benefit local businesses. Said Balvinder Gill, landlord of The Abingdon Arms, a community pub in the Otmoor village of Beckley, “We are looking forward to an enhanced customer experience as a result of faster broadband. Customers will have access to an uninterrupted broadband service and we’ll have the option of streaming music or sporting events to make their time at the pub more enjoyable. We sometimes have delays processing card transactions at peak times. Better broadband will mean customers no longer have to wait.”
The six communities in Otmoor will substantially expand the number of customers in Oxfordshire served by Gigaclear’s fiber to the premises (FTTP) network, says Gigaclear’s chief executive Matthew Hare. Once the network is complete, Gigaclear will have invested over £3 million ($4.95 million) in improving the Oxfordshire’s communications infrastructure (see “Gigaclear wins FTTP contract in rural Oxfordshire village”).
“Momentum for Gigaclear continues to grow as more underserved rural communities discover how ultrafast fiber-optic broadband is already transforming Internet use in neighboring villages,” said Hare.
Network construction at Otmoor is due to start in May 2014 and the new broadband service will be fully operational by the end of August.
For more information on FTTx/access systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
Sponsored Recommendations
Sponsored Recommendations