Yes, it is true that the much anticipated new Openreach Fibre build in Salisbury is now almost complete. That is a completely new parallel fibre cable set-up which will, in just a few years, completely replace all the copper services. The UK’s first Full Fibre City will then be a reality.

Local provider Giganet is working in partnership with Openreach so that residents can benefit today. Giganet has been busy putting its routing equipment into the Salisbury Exchange to be able to take on homeowners who are ready move to the Ultrafast Speeds of full-fibre.

We spoke to Managing Director Andrew Skipsey, to find out more about Giganet and why they say they have the best deals available.

Andrew says, “We are local and decided 3 years ago to build on our previous experience serving thousands of subscribers in Dorset.

"We invested into Salisbury, Basingstoke and Winchester and when Openreach made their commitment to Salisbury we advanced our capability to be ready. Early this year we worked with the Journal and Salisbury Chamber to get the word out but were then halted by the Covid lockdown. Behind the scenes, we made sure that we could get new connections installed for frontline workers in Salisbury and nationwide.

"The great news is that the rules have changed, and we are now able to install homes and businesses. So, anyone looking for better speeds can order and be installed in just over a couple of weeks.”

Salisbury Journal: Andrew’s Giganet teamAndrew’s Giganet team

What is full fibre?

“What is clear to anyone with a busy family, is that the old copper-based products are creaking. The newspapers are full of stories of unhappy families who cannot stream, browse or work from home. Those regular video interviews that break up or drop off are an example of what is going on in every street in our copper-based country. Another unhelpful attribute of the service is that some companies brand it ‘fibre’. This fake fibre has given full-fibre a bad name. The familiar green cabinets with the fibre imagery on, actually have your internet entering your home over the old copper and aluminium cables from that cabinet. This tech can only give you ‘superfast’ speeds, which you share with your neighbours. This may have been fine a few years ago when your neighbourhood only browsed, emailed and did their banking online. But with today’s viewing landscape changing, from 4K Netflix to HD You Tube, it is often impossible to avoid the spinning wheel of doom when you share capacity with the area. Add the challenge of a few people in the home trying to be educated, entertained or work during the current Covid situation and no-one needs a lesson in what a difference the Ultrafast speeds of this latest network can bring.”

What’s next?

“Our next challenge is to get the word out to the residents of Salisbury! Internet has never been more in demand than now, with the whole country largely in their homes. We want to let people know that they now have real choice and can move over to the new network quickly and simply. They’ll get a new hi-spec router and can just pay for what they need. We’ve made our pricing for this launch period the best that we possibly can, to help people come aboard with us. We understand that the copper giants might have people locked into a contract, but none can just convert you - they have too much vested into you staying in the slow lane. We’d recommend that you check your contract. You might be able to move without penalty, and don’t sign into that tempting re-commit deal with those massive brands until you properly check you can get full-fibre via our checker. It just takes a minute to get a result and you can simply order online. We have made it that easy!”

Why should our readers choose Giganet?

“Unlike those big names we are not faceless, below is a picture of my team at our away day in October. We’re a family firm, Matthew my eldest son is our CTO and the technical brains behind what we are building to be the Best Full Fibre provider in the country. And Luke, his younger brother works on our network design plans as well as business sales. We built a web checker to give people instant pricing for their postcode and we’ve won awards for our customer service.”           

Why Salisbury?

“My home is in Shaftesbury and as I said to Salisbury Chamber members a few weeks ago, Salisbury is our local city. Its where we shop, get our hair cut, have nights out, play sport…and who hasn’t had a visit or two to the A&E over the years? So, we are really proud to be in pole position with the best deal on this really important new infrastructure for the city. Now 16 years old and well established in telecoms and internet, we are a safe bet. We provide 24x7 back up to many local businesses who rely on their internet connectivity as mission critical, plus all our customers are assured of a great service. Our London Internet Core has been live 100% since 2012 and our reputation of never slowing down our customers even when the internet is at its busiest, shows we know what it takes to be the best for our customers.”

And what of the future?

“We’ll keep up providing our service across the country as Openreach and CityFibre build their networks. We’re hopeful of securing investment capital to build some of our own infrastructure but well never lose sight of serving our core area as best we can. We look forward to becoming a more famous name of the city and being able to provide community sponsorships as time passes. I can promise you that I will keep up a dialogue with you via The Journal, to let you know our news and how transformative full fibre is proving to be for the people of Salisbury.”

Why not enter your postcode into Giganet’s live checker at www.giga.net.uk/salisbury