I will offer web download speeds 200 times faster

AN internet service provider offering download speeds up to 200 times faster than the current UK average is to launch in Henley.

Roads will be closed in stages for 12 months from September while Zzoomm, which will have an office in the town centre, installs a new network of fibre optic cables and three exchange cabinets.

The company is negotiating with Oxfordshire County Council, the highways authority, over the locations for the cabinets but says they will be carefully placed to avoid obstructing pavements.

Smaller equipment boxes to amplify the data signals will be attached to the sides of buildings with the permission of landlords.

About 6,800 households and businesses will be able to sign up once all the streets have been connected. The company will offer speeds from 100Mbps to 10,000Mbps for professional users compared with the national average of about 47Mbps.

Zzoomm says it can offer faster speeds because customers’ premises will be linked to the wider network by fibre-optic cables, which transmit data through plastic strands using rapid pulses of light.

Most of South Oxfordshire’s existing network uses fibre after being upgraded under Better Broadband for Oxfordshire, a joint scheme by the Government, Openreach and Oxfordshire County Council. However, individual properties are still hooked up by their old copper cables, which negates some of the benefits as they are slower and perform worse in wet weather.

Zzoomm says its prices will be “competitive”.

The company, which plans to employ about 40 people, ranging from network designers to customer service staff, has permission from Ofcom to install networks anywhere in the UK.

It is focusing on Henley to begin with as chief executive Matthew Hare has run similar ventures elsewhere in Oxfordshire and says he has a good relationship with the county council.

He hopes to be serving a million homes within five years by focusing mostly on market towns and the suburbs of bigger cities.

Mr Hare, who lives near Oxford, said: “It will take a year to roll this out but we’ll be able to serve more and more people as it progresses.

“You can only do so much at a time and it’s very important to us that we keep disruption to a minimal and reasonable level.

“We’re still liaising with highways officers to ensure our plan makes sense as we have to work around other utility providers that may be working in the same street or in a neighbouring one, which could have a knock-on effect as you clearly can’t have too many closures at the same time.

“It’s an underground network with no new overhead wires so it’s more expensive for us and the installation is more intensive for householders but the upside is that, being underground, it’s far safer from disruption in the future.

“There will be no eyesores and Henley will be one of the fastest-connected towns in the world, creating all sorts of opportunities in areas like business and education.

“We will still be finishing the roll-out this time next year but the most disruptive phase will be over and we will publish a full advance schedule of works as well as consulting residents, schools and community groups.

“We accept that not everyone will be in favour. In my experience, some people aren’t interested in what you’re doing to improve things but at least engaging people allows them to express their thoughts.

“You can explain the long-term benefits and ensure that people get the most from what you’re doing.

“Two million properties in the UK have full fibre access but almost all of them will move off copper in about the next decade and there’s a big opportunity to make this happen more quickly. There are lots of companies focusing on cities or, at the other end, very rural areas but none serving market towns like Henley.

“Henley is a strong community with a good mix of households and businesses who communicate well with one another.

“We’ll be a local network serving local people and absolutely want to retain long-term links.

“We’re here to stay and provide the service from a base in the community and aren’t just ripping up the roads then clearing off.”

He said the Zzoomm service would be particularly useful to people who play computer games online or have several people in their house using different devices at once.

Mr Hare said: “Our faster speeds are more than many would want today but they will become more useful and will already benefit some heavy users.

“If you’re happy with what you’ve got, that’s fine but demand is bound to keep going up.

“People spend hours watching video online now while websites and apps are always designed to make the best of faster speeds.

“You can be sure that, eventually, there will be a range of things which people can’t make best use of without the appropriate infrastructure. This will help the entire community to take a massive leap forward.”