Gigaclear to cover 18,500+ South West homes in 2021

Rural broadband provider Gigaclear has announced plans to extend its FTTP network to over 18,500 premises in the South West of England in 2021. After connecting 12,000 premises across the South West last year, the provider says it plans to accelerate its rollout “through more efficient delivery times and a significant reinvestment in the area.”

In support of this expansion, Gigaclear says its has opened a new warehouse in Swindon to serve as its distribution hub, providing its workforce with the necessary stock and equipment. The provider has also signed a three-year lease on offices in Taunton.

Gigaclear says its focus will be on delivering ultrafast FTTP broadband for the region’s most underserved communities. Its rollout thus far, which has been delivered largely on a commercial basis, has largely targeted rural areas in Devon and Somerset. It ultimately hopes to cover 500,000 UK premises by the end of 2023.

Commenting on the announcement, Gigaclear South West General Manager Jo Scarrott said: “It is really pleasing to see the progress we are making across the region. Building to 18,500 premises this year alone is a huge achievement and one that shows the speed at which we are now operating. Our time to build is dropping as we streamline our processes and we have heavily invested in the region, all of which are major contributing factors to our strong outlook.”

In addition to that, we are continuously innovating and trialling new technologies that allow us to be more effective and efficient in the delivery of our service, plus it means we can reach the most remote communities that have been left alone by other providers.”

“Of course, we are always striving for improvement, but thousands of residents in rural villages and market towns across the South West can now look forward to some of the fastest broadband speeds in the world.”