Community Fibre claims UK first with 5 Gbps broadband for businesses

UK connectivity provider Community Fibre has announced an offer over its 100% full-fibre network to provide businesses with more broadband choice than ever before, with connections of up to 10 Gbps.

Claiming to be the UK capital’s fastest-growing full-fibre provider, Community Fibre said that in May 2022 it had passed a milestone that demonstrated its commitment to offering 2.2 million homes and businesses its full-fibre, multi-gigabit capable broadband by the end of 2024.

The company’s network offers up to 3 Gbps to residential homes and 10 Gbps for businesses.

It has a network with presence in 29 London boroughs, with immediate plans to add Haringey and Havering to its catchment area, and is providing free gigabit broadband to 300 community centres across London, with more planned.

A year ago, it expanded into Surrey and West Sussex by taking a majority stake in Surrey-based full-fibre network operator Box Broadband to help realise a commitment to bridging the digital divide in the UK.

The new 5GIGAFAST offer is being marketed by the gigabit connectivity provider as the UK’s first 5 Gbps 100% full-fibre broadband offer for the growing enterprise segment, and sits with a collection of business broadband packages ranging from 150 Mbps up to the full 10 Gbps.

Offering context for the launch, Community Fibre said the rise in cloud adoption by small, medium and large enterprises has placed strain on copper broadband lines. It quoted research by Office 365 calculating that nearly 80% of IT professionals say moving to the cloud improved their productivity, and, according to a study from Stanford, employees who use cloud apps and remote access are 13% more productive than their peers.

Community Fibre CEO Graeme Oxby said: “We are proud to provide more broadband options for London businesses, whether big or small, with Community Fibre’s 100% full-fibre network. As cloud technology continues to advance, we are determined to continue delivering higher, more reliable bandwidth speeds at the most affordable price, to ensure that London businesses aren’t left behind.” 

5GIGFAST is regarded by Community Fibre as being ideal for businesses with increasing bandwidth demands that are looking for a leased line replacement to full fibre with gigabit speeds and significantly reduced cost, available on 12, 24 and 36-month contracts.

Priced at £335 per month, the new bundle is intended to let businesses replace expensive and inflexible leased lines with multi-gigabit full fibre at a fraction of the cost, with speeds faster than its nearest rivals’ 1 Gbps leased line for almost half the price in one case.