Full Lightspeed ahead: A new high speed full fibre network is coming to Boston

Lightspeed Broadband says the new full fibre system will offer gigabit internet speeds up to 15 times faster than standard fibre broadband.

It is rolling the network out to ten towns in South Lincolnshire and West Norfolk, including Boston

The company aims to bring its fibre optic directly to 100,000 homes and businesses across the east of England by 2022, with ambitions to expand and reach 1 million homes by 2025.

The roll-out has been welcomed by Lincolnshire County Council.

Stephen Brookes, onlincolnshire programme manager for the county council, said: “The county council-led onlincolnshire programme has dramatically improved the county’s broadband infrastructure over the last few years, and more people than ever before can now enjoy superfast speeds.

“These highly significant improvements on the back of a massive investment by Lightspeed will build on that good work, greatly benefiting those Lincolnshire towns included in the roll out, who will receive some of the fastest speeds in the county.

“Ultrafast speeds and the reliability gigabit broadband can offer will bring huge benefits to residents and businesses in these areas, and it’s great to see Lightspeed progressing so quickly.”

Dave Axam, Operations Director, Lightspeed Broadband said: “These are exciting times for digital connectivity, and we are moving at light speed to bring Lightspeed Broadband to the east of England. Starting today in these ten towns, we are waking up the future of South Lincolnshire and West Norfolk by unlocking the digital and economic potential of these underserved communities.

“Together with our build partners, we will be working closely with the councils, highways authorities and local communities in each town to build the network. We want to build as environmentally kindly as we possibly can and we will be re-using existing underground ducts and telegraph poles, digging underground chambers, rather than using street cabinets, and using clean, electric vehicles. Inevitably there will be some build works, however we aim to minimise these are much as we can so there’s less disruption for residents.”

Local residents will be advised of plans to start work in their street and it is expected that the first homes and businesses will be able to connect later this year.

Specialist fibre infrastructure contractors, Plancast and RCU Solutions, have been appointed to work in partnership with Lightspeed Broadband, and the teams are moving quickly to roll out the network. One hundred engineers have been deployed and thirty new jobs are being created for the build, with an emphasis on employing, developing and training local people. Build teams are operating from depots in Stamford, King’s Lynn and Boston and the network will be managed from a new Lightspeed HQ in Spalding.

Local people and businesses will benefit from ultrafast upload and download speeds of up to 1000 Mbps enabling professional home working, streaming online entertainment, high speed gaming, home schooling and video calling, with no buffering.

Managed by a highly experienced team, including Chief Executive Officer, Steve Haines; Chief Operating Officer, Dave Axam and Chief Customer Officer, Joanne King, who combined have more than 100 years’ experience in the telecoms industry, including with BT and TalkTalk. Existing infrastructure and cleaner, greener ways of building will be used wherever possible to minimise environmental impact and disruption to residents.