LilaConnect brings FTTP network to Uttoxeter
LilaConnect has announced that it will extend its full fibre network to the market town of Uttoxeter in Staffordshire. The gigabit-capable, open access Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network has so far been built to cover more than 50,000 premises across 4 English counties, with the Uttoxeter rollout part of plans to take the coverage further.
Construction in Uttoxeter, which has a local population of approximately 13,000, has already begun, with the first premises forecast to go live from early next year and the rollout set to be completed by the end of 2022.
LilaConnect, a subsidiary of Swedish firm VXFIBER, is currently working on several deployments throughout England. The network provider is already working on a network build in the Staffordshire city of Stoke-on-Trent, around 15 miles from Uttoxeter. That rollout is so far aiming to cover around 7,000 premises, with plans to extend the network across the whole city of approximately 100,000 premises “over the next few years”.
Other areas being targeted by the provider include Colchester in Essex, where it is currently building to over 1,200 homes in the areas of Berechurch and Shrub End, with plans to reach a further 4,500 premises by the end of 2021.
The firm has begun an FTTP build in the Cheshire towns of Crew and Nantwich and has partnered with Prime Fibre to cover around 3,000 premises in London. It is also targeting a rollout in the city of Bristol.
Commenting on the Uttoxeter rollout, LilaConnect Managing Director Brett Shepherd said: “Accelerated by the global pandemic, a fast and reliable broadband connection has shifted from being a luxury to an essential utility.”
“But it’s much more than just streaming video and music or online shopping, it’s also about transforming communities with improvements such as better access to employment, education, and healthcare."
“Having an open access full fibre network will future-proof Uttoxeter’s digital infrastructure and provide the reliability and bandwidth that is invaluable to residents and businesses in the town.”
