But residents who do not take advantage of the current offer of free installation are being warned that they could face costs in the future when the old copper cable network is turned off.
Sure’s acting chief commercial officer Mike Fawkner-Corbett said recent figures showed that 75% of properties in the island now had fibre access.
Among Sure customers with access, eight out of 10 had already gone ahead and connected.
This rate of take-up far exceeds the UK, where only 30% of homes with access to fibre actually had it installed. The free installation offer has been declined by some people who do not have internet or are happy with their existing connection speeds.
But the old copper phone network is due to be de-activated at the end of 2026, and after that people may have to pay for connection to the new network.
‘We recommend that all of our customers make the switch to fibre in good time to ensure their broadband connection is not interrupted,’ said Mr Fawkner-Corbett.
‘Our customers will receive regular reminders to switch as we approach the end of 2026.’
Mr Fawkner-Corbett said that people might be surprised at how few homes were without internet.
While elderly or infirm residents might have only a landline phone, many use the Lifeline service. The service, which involves wearing a small device connected to an emergency alarm, now runs over fibre broadband, and therefore users also need to upgrade.
The fibre network operates today at speeds of up to 2 gigabits per second but is capable of handling up to 10gbps in future, although Mr Fawkner-Corbett said that customers would almost certainly need to install new hardware to take advantage of that.
Connection to the network is free of charge for those with an existing service.
It involves having a new box installed at home which is hooked up to the customer’s router and landline.
A fee is charged for those needing a new installation.
After installation by Guernsey Fibre, which is a joint Sure-States initiative, Sure’s home team offers customers assistance to resolve any issues.
Lewis O’Callaghan initially spent a couple of years on installations before joining the home team.
‘Sometimes we have people who just don’t have coverage in their property, sometimes they’ve got a new router and can’t connect their TV, and sometimes they might want their whole property kitted out with new equipment,’ he said.
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