Kingston Council secures cutting edge gigabit broadband for thousands of residents and local businesses

Thousands of Kingston residents in both council-owned and private homes will gain access to full fibre broadband delivering lightning fast, low cost internet access, as a result of agreements made between the council and broadband providers. Tenants of commercial property owned by the council are also set to reap the benefits.

The council has granted access to providers Community Fibre and Hyperoptic to enable them to bring full fibre broadband investment to over 8,000 properties across the borough. 

Once works are complete, thousands of Kingston residents will be able to access a full fibre connection offering much faster average speeds than those currently available. This will support people working from home and help deliver high quality, reliable internet connections to homes and businesses which have been disadvantaged for too long. 

Councillor Tim Cobbett, Deputy Leader at Kingston Council, said:

“The positive impact is far-reaching - as barriers to education and leisure activities are often removed by access to services online. Those who work or study from home could benefit from increased internet speeds and better accessibility.

 

“The pandemic has further highlighted the importance of digital inclusion and accessibility from home. Often, it is those residents who are already most vulnerable who do not have quick and reliable online access to key services and opportunities. This initiative is one of many that Kingston Council is currently progressing to enable connectivity and encourage investment into the borough’s digital future.”

Work to install the fibre cabling for the initial phases is expected to start in early 2022 and will take 18-24 months to complete. Residents can sign up to access faster internet speeds, which will be offered at varied price packages, dependent on the provider. 

As part of the new agreement, Community Fibre and Hyperoptic will deliver free Wi-Fi in communal areas of local community hubs and council-owned community buildings. There are also plans to run digital inclusion training schemes and provide job opportunities and apprenticeships to local residents. 

Graeme Oxby, CEO of Community Fibre, said:

“At Community Fibre we believe that everyone should have access to the best internet to ensure growth and greater opportunities for all. Closing the digital divide is our priority which is why we are focused on accelerating our full fibre rollout to facilitate better internet for everyone supported with our Community Investments and Digital Ambassadors Programme. We are really pleased to be working with Kingston Council to bring to its residents London’s fastest internet, at the best prices and with the highest customer satisfaction on Trustpilot.”

Daniel Craven, Business Development Director, Hyperoptic:

“We are delighted to be partnering with Kingston Council to be delivering our full fibre services to its properties. Since our inception over ten years ago, we have steadily expanded our network across every London borough as we believe everyone in the capital deserves access to the gold-standard of connectivity.”