Beta site under development
The WightFibre Gigabit Island Project will bring greater connectivity, productivity and modernisation to Island businesses and residents
When it comes to 'levelling up', fast and reliable broadband connectivity is one of the most important infrastructure improvements available. Full-fibre optic broadband allows individual homes and workplaces to seamlessly connect with the wider world – facilitating better working environments, greater business efficiency, and a more connected world for users of all backgrounds.
Since 2001, WightFibre has been working on its own independent fibre-optic broadband network on the Isle ofWight – independent from the BT Openreach network. WightFibre provides phone, TV and broadband services to homes and businesses on the Isle of Wight, with the ambition that 80,000 homes on the Island will be served by 'full fibre' connectivity by the end of 2025.
'Full fibre' connectivity means that WightFibre’s entire network is fully optical right into the customer premises: each home has its own dedicated fibre optic cables, so there is no shared usage that could impede performance.
After starting with a hybrid fibre-coaxial network (cable) network on the Island in 2001, in 2018 WightFibre commenced the rollout of its full-fibre network across the Island. In summer 2022 the final few cable customers were upgraded to the new network, with WightFibre declaring the completion of their 'Big Copper Switch-Off' a full 10 years ahead of the rest of the UK. By contrast, BT Openreach has a target date of 2035 for their 'Big Copper Switch-Off' — with their focus still on the PSTN switch-off that WightFibre achieved in 2018.
The scale of the civil engineering is reflected in the figures: 500 kilometres of trenches will be dug, containing 5 million meters of duct and 750 million meters of fibre-optic cable by project completion.
Funding from the extensive project has come from a variety of sources and grants. The project has received over £110 million from Infracapital Partners (including funding from HM Treasury) and investment from NatWest Bank. WightFibre is also receiving funding from Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) to extend the reach of the network to the more remote homes on the Island.
WightFibre broadband is a project designed to touch all Islanders, regardless of their income level. The "because we care" ethos means WightFibre are committed to making full-fibre broadband available to all within the Island community, not just to those who can afford it. Their Essential Broadband Package is a complete 100-100Mb upload-download package, but costs around two-thirds the normal price and is only available to households on Universal or Pension Credit. This inclusivity means the WightFibre infrastructure upgrade can benefit every Island resident, regardless of their social background.
Wide reaching in scope, scale, and ambition – the Gigabit Island Project will bring greater connectivity, productivity, and modernisation to the Island.
