Category: Press Coverages

What’s the difference between cooper and fibre networks?

We know that there’s a lot of confusing words to get to grips with when it comes to understanding the internet, its speeds and what that means. So, we’ve put together this brief guide to help it all make sense.

Firstly, when we talk about internet speed, it just means how fast data travels to and from the internet. This is the thing that will affect your service the most. Normally it’s measured in megabits per second (Mbps) or gigabits per second (Gbps). So, the higher those numbers, the faster your internet is, and the more reliable your service will be.

So, what speeds do you need for everyday use of the internet?

Let’s face it, we all stream TV shows and movies these days, often on more than once device, and there’s nothing more annoying that endless buffering. For the average family of four we’d recommend an internet connection of 130Mbps or more. At this speed your whole family can stream the TV shows they want, at the same time, without any buffering. You could even stream in UHD and still get a seamless service.

If you’re a household with a gamer in your midst then you’re going to want even higher speeds, with a minimum of 300Mbps or more, and up to 900Mpbps if you’ve more than one gamer, or for any PC Gamers. You’ll also want good upload and download speeds. Some broadband doesn’t offer symmetrical upload/download speeds which won’t be great for PC gamers.

The same goes for home workers. If that’s you, you’ll want to ensure you have good upload and download speeds too (we’ve explained this more clearly below). And, as always, the higher the speeds (as in 150Mbps or above) the more reliable your service.

Want to see the proof? Take a look at our speed test video here [LINK TO SPEED TEST VIDEO].

What’s an upload speed?

This is the speed at which you can send information. So, this affects how long it takes you to upload files, photos or videos. It will also impact the quality of your video calls, virtual meetings and real-time online collaboration tools: with your video feed getting pixelated or freezing to those on the receiving end.

If you’re a gamer, slow upload speeds are a big no-no. Depending on how slow your upload speeds are, you could begetting a lot of lag, affecting your ability to respond quickly in real-time multiplayer games.

What’s a download speed?

This is the speed you receive information. So, this will affect your overall web browsing experience and how well you can stream videos and audio without experiencing the dreaded buffer. Basically, any way you access the internet (Netflix, music streaming services, loading webpages, making video calls), this will be impacted.

What’s the difference between cooper and fibre networks?

Let’s start with the basics and take a look at what copper and fibre actually mean.

What is copper internet?

This is the ‘legacy’ network, and it’s literally copper wiring that transmits data to and from you home for your internet. However, the ignal on copper degrades over long distances, leading to slower internet speeds for those further from local exchanges (those green boxes at the end of your road). It can also be susceptible to environmental factors, such as electromagnetic interference, which will impact the performance of your internet.

What’s fibre, or full fibre internet?

This is the latest technology. It’s fibre optic cables that transmit data through very thin strands of glass or plastic using pulses of light. This is the modern standard of high-speed internet and signal doesn’t degrade over distance. So, no matter where you are, if you have a fibre optic cable right to your home, then you’re going to get highly reliable internet that is callable of streaming 1000’s of megabits, or even terabits, of data.

With this information we think it’s obvious what the benefits of getting full fibre internet are, but we understand that not everyone feels the same about fibre as we do. So, we’ll try and rein in our enthusiasm a bit and explain the benefits to you. Here goes…

Ultrafast speeds that will make your life sooooooo much simpler

Not only can you get amazing amounts of data streaming all at once, you also get symmetrical speeds with fibre optic cables. That means your download and upload speeds are nearly identical, and that’s a game changer

Fibre optics provide symmetrical speeds, meaning that upload and download speeds are nearly identical. This is a game-changer for activities like video conferencing, online gaming, and uploading large files. Working from home has never been better!

So much reliability you’ll forget buffering was even a ‘thing’

Not only do the speeds make full fibre internet more reliable, but fibre optics are also far less susceptible to environmental factors and signal interference than copper. So, your whole family can stream seamlessly, all at the same time, all without a glitch.

It’s the future.

No, really, you’re going to need a full fibre connection very soon. There’s more and more demand for higher bandwidth on the current networks, and a full fibre connection offers a solution to this. It is simply the case that partial fibre networks (where the fibre doesn’t go all the way to your home) and old copper networks are starting to struggle with demand from the number of people using them, and also the technology we are increasingly using in our daily lives. Fibre is scalable and can accommodate HUGE amounts of demand. It’s fully future-proof.

It’s a much more secure network

Fibre is more secure network because it doesn’t give off electromagnetic signals that can be intercepted. This makes fibre-optic connections less susceptible to hacking and unauthorised access.

Ever heard of latency?

Well, the lower the better and fibre optic networks deliver low latency. This makes them ideal for real-time applications, and Gamers will benefit hugely from reduced lag and a more responsive online gaming experience.

Our aim is to bring full fibre internet to as many towns and villages as we can. That’s why we provide network coverage to every premise in our 130+ build towns.

How do we build full fibre networks?

Well, for the most part (80% of it, inf act) we put our fibre optic cables through Openreach’s existing infrastructure of underground ducts and telegraph poles. This ensures the build is largely straightforward with minimal disruption to the areas we building. However, there are a handful of areas where existing ducts or poles are not available and, in these areas, we follow the industry-standard process of either using other existing ducts, or putting in telegraph poles. We really have to emphasise that we only put poles in when there are no realistic alternatives.

What to do if you want to get our full fibre internet?

Once our services are built and live in your area, we have a range of excellent partners to choose from who can set you up with a broadband package to suit your needs.

We’ll then arrange a time for one of our engineers to install ultrafast broadband in your home, which usually takes a few hours. If you want to know more about what to expect when it comes to installing fibre optic cables to your home, watch our video on what happens at an installation.

FullFibre has won the coveted Best Channel Support at this year’s ISPA Awards, recognising the outstanding support it provides to its ISP partners.

Held at the Old War Offices (OWO) in London, the ISPA Awards is an industry-focused event that is designed to recognise the best companies in the broadband, hosting, cloud and VoIP services industries.

The ‘Best Channel Support’ award celebrates the network builder who provides the most comprehensive and impactful channel support to ISPs using their FTTP infrastructure; from the initial onboarding process right the way through to the day-to-day support.

Matt Baker, Head of Wholesale at FullFibre, comments, “FullFibre’s approach is designed to deliver value for our partners, and to support customer service excellence, which is why we’re so delighted that this has been clearly recognised in this award win. We work hard to understand our partner’s propositions and growth objectives, and to support them in their go-to-market strategies through tactical campaign activity.

“We look forward to continuing to deliver this for all of our partners, on our new extensive footprint, in 2024”.

So far this year, FullFibre has also won awards for ‘Best Marketing Team’ at Channel Champions, ‘Best Fibre Marketing Campaign’ and were Highly Commended for ‘Best Wholesale Fibre Provider’ at the UK fibre Awards.

 

Fibre Heroes delivers more choice for consumers with Fibre Heroes’ lightening-fast broadband

In a first for 50 towns in England, residents and businesses can now access full fibre, or FTTP, with multiple providers, bringing better value gigabit-capable internet to the town.

From 7 November, over 100,000 residents and businesses in 50 towns will benefit from this increased choice and availability. They will have access to 12 different full fibre broadband providers on Fibre Heroes’ gigabit-capable service – bringing significantly more reliable broadband and better consumer choice.

The availability of full fibre infrastructure is often identified as key to delivering economic growth, as set out in the Government’s plan to extend local full fibre networks across the UK.

Brought to these 50 towns by the full fibre network provider known as Fibre Heroes, the service is different to BT’s network, which national service providers (like Sky) sell their services on. This new infrastructure is a Government-backed upgrade to the UK’s old copper network, and a lot of the current partial fibre network. Meaning it’s genuinely full fibre (all the way to the home) and not a partial upgrade as lots in the area will have today.

Managing Director of Fibre Heroes, James Warner, comments, “We’re really pleased to bring the residents and businesses of these 50 towns more choice in their broadband provider, stimulating competition and making available best-in-class internet services for the area. We know access to ultrafast connectivity has a real-world positive impact on how communities operate and the way we live our lives, so we’re proud to be able to deliver improved services for many people up and down the UK”.
Full fibre is a more reliable internet service and allows up to 1Gbps download speeds for those homes and businesses using its network. However, this newly available service may not be available through all broadband companies, so it’s important to check which ones can now offer the service.

To find out more about the services on offer, and whether your property of home is eligible for the upgrade, click here

Fresh Fibre joins the FullFibre network as its newest internet service provider, adding to a substantial year of growth for the company.

Fresh Fibre is a service provider offering 150, 500 and 900Mbps packages with a focus on expertise, cutting-edge technology and reliability for its customers. Sticking to the FullFibre principle of no mid-contract price hikes, Fresh Fibre also offers packages that are designed “to stretch what you can get out of us, not what we can get out of you”.

Commenting on the new partnership, Head of Wholesale at FullFibre, Matt Baker, said “We’re really excited to be partnering with Fresh Fibre, who deliver even more choice to customers looking to connect to the FullFibre network. A big part of our ethos at FullFibre is to level the digital landscape across the UK, and Fresh Fibre’s offering is helping us fulfil this ambition”.

Thomas Pearson, Technical Operations Manager at Fresh Fibre, also comments “Fresh Fibre is delighted to be working with FullFibre to bring Ultrafast Broadband to new communities across the UK. With our UK-based call centre and fair pricing models we are well placed to deliver a service and a customer experience that is best in class among challenger ISP’s”.

Earlier this month, FullFibre announced a merger with Digital Infrastructure (Di), which will create one of the larger offerings by UK altnets, with a live network accessible by over 270,000 homes and businesses, and an ambition to deliver 1 million live premises by the end of 2025.

FullFibre has onboarded a number of new partners over the past 12 months, including; Direct Save, FACTCO, Gigabit Networks, IDNet, Link Broadband, and OctaPlus. Increasing the number of partners selling on its network to 12.

FullFibre’s ISP partners now include BeFibre, FACTCO, Gigabit Networks, IDNet, Link Broadband, Merula, OctaPlus, Redline, Squirrel and Worcester I.T Services.

FullFibre is a wholesale telecoms network provider, operating under the customer-facing brand Fibre Heroes, to connect the historically overlooked towns of the UK with an ultrafast broadband connection.

FullFibre and Digital Infrastructure consolidate to form a leading alternative network in the UK fibre market.

Basalt Infrastructure Partners LLP (Basalt) announces Basalt Infrastructure Partners Fund III (a fund advised by Basalt) is bringing FullFibre and Digital Infrastructure together in a move that will create a single wholesale platform and a bigger, more ambitious entity in the UK fibre market.

Basalt today announces the merger of its two UK fibre to the premises network operators, Digital Infrastructure and FullFibre.

The merger happens as a pro-active move in the competitive UK fibre market, bringing greater scale and combining routes to market for these established fibre assets.

The combined business, to be led by CEO Oliver Helm, will integrate Digital Infrastructure’s and FullFibre’s existing footprint and continue the build out in more rural regions. It will create a highly complementary network and take advantage of FullFibre’s wholesale-first strategy.

The merger will also create one of the larger offerings by UK altnets, with a network accessible by over 250,000 homes and businesses Ready for Service (RFS) today, with an ambition to deliver 1 million live premises through a wholesale business model.

The internet service provider (ISP) of Digital Infrastructure, BeFibre, which today provides retail services via both the FullFibre and Digital Infrastructure networks, will remain part of the group as a customer of the enhanced wholesale platform.

Headline Numbers:

– Over 250,000 RFS premises available today, with over 300,000 to be available by the end of the year.
– A combined build rate of up to 40,000 new RFS per month.
– 67 towns actively in build or nearing completion.

Commenting on the merger, Wil Jones, Partner at Basalt, said, “The UK fibre sector is maturing and, through this merger, we will create a business with substantial scale, under a single wholesale platform. This will ensure long-term success and strengthen our position in the market to accelerate the plans of both businesses”.

“This consolidation places us well to take advantage of opportunities in the UK fibre market and continue our investment in network rollout across the UK, enhancing the platform’s ability to deliver increasingly essential fibre infrastructure in historically under-served areas.”

Oliver Helm, CEO at FullFibre, also comments, “Both Digital Infrastructure and FullFibre have built exceptionally skilled teams, with complementary capabilities. Together, we will accelerate the pace at which we roll out and connect customers to our fibre network. The merged organisation will sit in the top tier of well-established, alternative networks. With this substantive scale, we will continue our single-minded focus on delivering exceptional network infrastructure to our ISPs, and their customers and communities in turn”.

FullFibre announced as Best Vendor Marketing Team at this year’s Channel Champions Awards.

Held at Regents Park in London, Channel Champions is an industry-focused awards event that is designed to recognise the full range of teams who contribute to building winning channel organisations.

The Vendor Marketing Team award recognises those businesses demonstrating a consistent record of achievement in developing and protecting their brand, generating leads, and creating a strong client and market profile.

FullFibre’s marketing approach is wholly unique. Using its Fibre Heroes marketing campaign, which creates a distinctive brand, its and highly effective marketing team generates original, engaging and community focused campaigns that make a real difference.

Zoe Taylor, Chief People Officer at FullFibre, comments on the win, “This is an excellent result and reflects the hard work that we do right across the business. As a wholesale only business, a strong marketing offering supports the whole company effort in delivering quality full fibre services for our ISPs to sell their services on”.

So far this year, FullFibre has also won awards for ‘Best Fibre Marketing Campaign’ and were Highly Commended for ‘Best Wholesale Fibre Provider’ at the UK fibre Awards.

FullFibre onboards new partner Direct Save and expands its offering to end-users with more competitive broadband and home phone packages.

Direct Save are a fully UK-based internet service provider. Their aim is to help everyone save money on their broadband and home phone packages, and they offer competitive deals to end-users with this in mind, supported by their award-winning customer support team.

Matt Holliman, Operations Manager at Direct Save, comments on the new partnership, “We’re excited to work with Fibre Heroes, a leading provider of high-speed fibre-optic broadband. This collaboration allows us to combine our expertise in affordable and customer-focused broadband and phone services with a state-of-the-art fibre network, and offer our customers a reliable and lightning-fast internet connection.

“Together, we are committed to bridging the digital divide and ensuring that everyone has access to the benefits of full fibre connectivity”.

Commenting on the new partnership, Head of Wholesale at FullFibre, Matt Baker, said “We’re really pleased that Direct Save are offering services on our network. This means we can offer even more choice to residents and businesses across the UK, which is crucial as we continue to build our network at pace”.

FullFibre is building full fibre networks in over 80 towns across 11 counties, fulfilling their goal of bringing ultrafast broadband to the currently underserved areas of the UK.

FullFibre launches a brand new Community Investment Fund to promote digital connectivity in its build towns.

The Community Investment Fund will be open to both local charities and organisations to request funding for projects that enhance the prosperity and growth of their hometown. The scope of the Fund is broad, and applicants are encouraged to use their imagination about the types of projects that could be funded.

This could be a significant investment tool for local communities, and to access funding, potential recipients can apply here, providing details of the activity, the scope to support local people and the location of their project.

The first project to be approved is the Badsey & Aldington Community Computer Club, which supports people in the Badsey and wider Evesham area to learn how to use the internet. The money raised from FullFibre’s Community Investment Fund will enable the club to buy new equipment and increase the support they can provide to the local community.

Councillor Alan Tutton comments, “It is brilliant to have access to a fund that is designed solely to support local communities, and we are so pleased to be the first project approved for funding. This grant will now enable us to reach out to more individuals around the Evesham area and support them in building up their skills and confidence when using the internet”.

Matt Smith, Head of Public Procurement and Engagement at FullFibre, comments, “Every project is individually assessed, and we will do our best to put the Community Investment Fund to good use: to make sure it benefits as many of the 80 plus towns that we are active in as we can”.

Oliver Helm, CEO at FullFibre also comments, “We are thrilled to announce the launch of our Community Investment Fund. This is a real force for good and a brilliant opportunity for us to get more involved with the communities we are working in.

“Investing in building digital capacity and better connectivity, whatever that looks like, is a very exciting place to start a project. I’m genuinely looking forward to receiving our first set of applications, and we can’t wait to get started”.

For further information on the criteria and available funding for the Fibre Heroes Community Investment Fund, please visit: https://fibreheroes.co.uk/community-investment-fund/.