Next phase for Sure’s fibre broadband rollout
A PILOT scheme has been completed for rolling out faster broadband in Guernsey, during which 2,000 homes have been made ready for the speedier internet services.
Sure Guernsey, which owns the infrastructure, has been contracted by the States to connect every home by 2026. Once connected, each homeowner can then order a fibre-optic broadband service from their provider – Sure, JT or Airtel.
Sure said it had received very positive feedback from customers who had taken up the improved service with them, with high approval ratings for the speed and the installation process.
During the next stage of the roll-out, Sure expects to prepare another 700 homes every month to be able to order fibre broadband.
Justin Bellinger, Sure Guernsey’s chief executive, said the pilot phase had gone better than he had expected, with hundreds of homes already connected. He called yesterday ‘a landmark day’ as the company moved to the next phase of the project and hailed fibre as ‘life-changing’.
‘A lot has been learnt since the start of the pilot in October,’ he said.
‘Now the project can be accelerated and even more homes can be connected to the fastest network in the Channel Islands.’
With the new technology installed, Sure’s customers are able to get internet download speeds of 30MB per second at the basic rate of £43 per month. This rises through five tiers of pricing to a top rate of £126 per month for the highest speed of 1GB per second, which is more than 60 times faster than the current basic broadband.
The company declined a request to provide the number of customers who had actually signed up to its faster services.
Mr Bellinger said the completion of the pilot and the start of the next phase marked ‘a huge landmark in Guernsey’s telecoms history’.
‘All the broadband you will ever need is here right now, and thanks to the investment from the States of Guernsey, fibre will reach every home on the island within five years,’ he said.
The project has an anticipated cost of £37.5m., with £25m. being provided by Sure and a maximum of £12.5m. coming from taxpayers.
No charges are being made for the installation.
Once installed, the technology will allow customers to receive the speeds they are paying for and will be unaffected by factors such as their distance from an exchange, a spokeswoman said.
The work is being carried out in pockets rather than parish by parish. In this phase, fibre is being installed to the big five telecoms exchanges on the island and will then be expanded from there.
The island’s three retail broadband providers will get in touch with homeowners to offer to connect them to the new service when fibre reaches their area.
All lifeline customers and those who do not have a mobile or rely on a landline for health reasons, will be provided with a battery backup unit free of charge, Sure has confirmed. This unit will ensure that the landline service continues to work in the event of a power cut.
Other customers will be able to purchase a battery backup through their retail service provider.
