WightFibre has announced the purchase of the Click4internet wireless network, which covers the Isle of Wight and parts of Hampshire around the Solent. The move is a significant step for WightFibre and enables the company to extend its superfast broadband coverage to the whole of the Isle of Wight.
“For WightFibre it helps to bolster our capability and gives us a greater coverage to more areas of the Island,” says CEO John Irvine. “Although the Click4internet name and brand will go, the network will continue and the service will continue. We’ve partnered with Click4internet for several years now. Now that we have ownership of that network we can fix some of the problems that have arisen over the last 18 months. We’ve sorted some of them already and our improvement programme will turn it into a state of the art high-speed radio network that can deliver solid, fast broadband to the whole of the coverage area. This move is recognition of the issues faced by many across our Island and reflects the importance we place on focusing on ways to improve rural connectivity beyond where it is today.”
WightFibre continues to roll-out faster broadband to the island and also making phone and TV services available to existing Click4Internet customers. This latest move, combined with WightFibre’s continued partnership with Wight Wireless ensures that, in total, over 90% of the Island can now enjoy superfast speeds. The Island’s broadband is also faster, on average, than equivalent areas in the UK. John says the Isle of Wight is “fairly unique” because it isn’t just BT here. Most rural areas of the UK will only have BT lines on offer, used by other providers like Sky or Talk Talk. The WightFibre cable network is “better” too, than BT’s “old fashioned, limited, twisted pair” and John says that’s good for the marketplace.
“It means we’re keeping BT on their toes and WightFibre is a real competitor. That competitive environment is good for the Island’s economy. WightFibre has rebuilt its reputation over the last five years. Residential customers are coming back to us in their droves. As a business we’re doing very well. It’s been a bit slower with our business customers but in the last nine months we’ve seen a tremendous pick up in our business order book. We’re competitive and we’re local, flexible and responsive. We can deliver a solution that suits your business and we pride ourselves on our very high standards of customer service.
“We’re charging much less today for a 30MB connection than we did for a 2MB connection 10 years ago. What’s happening in the industry is that operators are increasing line rental, without increasing broadband charges. Line rental is really subsidising broadband, and BT has increased its line rental by 50% in the last five years without raising broadband prices. On a cable network like ours you don’t need to have line rental to get broadband, so we’re left at a competitive disadvantage. The challenge for us is to get our customer base to recognise the value of good quality broadband and pay a bit more for it.”
Click4Internet Managing Director, Frazer Munro believes that bringing the two networks together is a great deal for the Island.
“Click4Internet has been providing service to large areas of the island who have been poorly served by BT. With over 500 homes and businesses on our network we had reached a point where we needed help to accelerate the development and take up of our services. WightFibre will be able to deliver this. We feel we are leaving our existing network and customers in very capable hands”.
First published in the October 2015 issue of Island Business magazine.
