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Gigaclear’s 1,000Mbps fibre broadband reaches hundreds of Oxfordshire homes

Rural fibre provider Gigaclear is now delivering speeds of up to 1,000Mbps to hundreds of Oxfordshire homes. 

Previously residents has to make do with download speeds of 1Mbps of they were lucky – now they can tap into a service which provides top download and upload speeds of 1Gbps. 

The gigabit broadband ISP’s latest network covers over 750 homes across six villages across the Otmoor area, which has broken the company’s record for pre-activation sign ups. 

Gigaclear’s 1,000Mbps fibre broadband reaches hundreds of Oxfordshire homes
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Matthew Hare, Chief Executive, Gigaclear said: “The record uptake of our services by these communities is a clear sign that villages across Britain are ready for the future. 

“Gigaclear’s pure fibre networks are bringing that future to them, helping them enjoy life at gigabit speeds and providing infrastructure for the technology of tomorrow, rather than just trying to improve yesterday. With an investment in Oxfordshire of over £4 million, Gigaclear is continuing to invest here based on local demand.”

Plans to connect the Otmoor villages were announced back in March. The project has now been completed and customers across Beckley, Elsfield, Horton-cum-Studley, Noke, Stanton St. John and Woodeaton can now access next-gen services. 

Gigaclear specialises in creating small FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) networks in mainly rural areas that aren’t due to get superfast broadband from the various BDUK (Broadband Delivery for the UK) plans or the likes of BT and Virgin Media. 

The company has recently connected the first few premises to gigabit fibre in Underriver, Kent and has connected hundreds of homes in Rutland. Gigaclear’s wares are very much in demand, so much so that it can’t keep up and it’s seeking investment on the AIM (Alternative Investment Market) stock exchange. 

Gigaclear’s work complements the local BDUK plan which aims to bring superfast broadband – delivering download speeds of at least 24Mbps – to 90 per cent of the county.  

Nick Carter, councillor at Oxfordshire County Council added: “We are aware that a number of residents have worked hard at ensuring superfast broadband is brought to Otmoor, and are delighted that the local community has worked with Gigaclear to deliver this coverage to part of rural Oxfordshire. 

“Our priority is to get as much of the county covered as possible with faster broadband so that residents and businesses can benefit from the ever increasing volume of internet based services and content. Alongside our Better Broadband for Oxfordshire programme we welcome input from a range of commercial providers and community initiatives to help the county access improved broadband speeds.”

The local authority has spent £10 million on Better Broadband for Oxfordshire, which is topped by by £11 million from contract winners BT and £4 million from the UK Government’s BDUK fund. The majority of properties covered will be able to order FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet)-based services from ISPs that use BT’s Openreach network. 

Currently, the top download and upload speeds possible on BT’s FTTC line is 80Mbps and 20Mbps, although the further away your home is from the cabinet, the slower your service will be. For this reason, ISPs including Sky and TalkTalk which sell FTTC-based services advertise their top possible download speed as 76Mbps. 

Gigaclear’s entry-level services start at £37/month for a service that provides download and upload speeds of 50Mbps. The top tier Gigaclear package, providing a symmetrical 1Gbps service costs £69/month. Aside from a one-off £100 connection fee, there’s no extra charge for line rental. 

While some Oxfordshire premises will be connected to FTTP broadband by BT, the top speeds available right now are 330Mbps down and 30Mbps up. Trials have proven that BT’s FTTP lines can deliver gigabit speeds if necessary, but the UK’s biggest ISP has shown no sign of launching a 1Gbps service anytime soon. 

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