Hyperoptic continues drive to Gigabit London with rollout in Hackney

Hyperoptic, a leading full fibre broadband provider, today announces another key milestone in its mission to Gigabit London – it has signed a partnership with Hackney Council to roll out its full fibre network across its social housing stock.

Over 10 per cent of homes (11,000) in Hackney already have access to Hyperoptic’s services. This partnership will see Hyperoptic’s footprint extended to 30 per cent of homes in the borough.

Hyperoptic was the first of a new breed of broadband suppliers to offer consumers and businesses gigabit-capable broadband with average speeds of up to 900Mbps. Bringing London up to speed has been a strategic priority since its inception. Councils have taken a key role in accelerating its rollout. Hyperoptic has agreed partnerships with a number of London councils to give their residents access to a broadband service that enables them to use the Internet without compromise – Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Brent and Hammersmith to name a few.

Upgrading digital infrastructure enables both social and economic benefits for a borough. Resident benefits include enhanced access to teleworking and education, reduced isolation and opportunity for e-health support. Hyperoptic’s ‘Digital Connectivity Social Value Calculator’ demonstrates that Hyperoptic will be creating £12.9million of social value through the rollout of its hyperfast broadband network across the London borough of Hackney.

As part of this agreement with Hackney Council, Hyperoptic will help provide free 50 connections to community halls and other local facilities; provide apprenticeships, employment opportunities and digital skills training for local residents; and offer targeted discounts to some residents who are in financial hardship and are digitally excluded. It is also actively engaged in local recruitment and has already offered a number of jobs to Hackney constituents.

Liam McAvoy, MD of Business Development, Hyperoptic: “We have spent the last decade being relentlessly focussed on enabling as many people as possible to benefit from access to hyperfast, reliable broadband. We have gone from servicing large MDUs, to installing services in smaller developments, to individual houses. All building types will be included in this rollout with Hackney.

“Our ethos is to always go beyond the expected, which is why during the last year we led the industry in supporting people who need it most – from offering a free service to families for home schooling, donating our Christmas party fund to worthwhile causes and launching a new tariff for people on means-tested benefits. We also believe it’s fundamental to support and invest in the communities we serve, which is why we layer our provision with job creation, free training and community connections.”

The agreement is part of Hackney Council’s Better Broadband programme, which aims to roll out full fibre broadband, as well as a range of other community benefits, to people living in Council homes in Hackney. Find out more at: hackney.gov.uk/broadband