Original article ISPreview UK:Read More
Carlisle-based alternative broadband operator Grain, which in July 2025 secured a major £225m funding boost (here), has announced that they’re expanding the coverage of their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network deeper into one of their original deployment towns – Grimsby in Lincolnshire.
The operator’s broadband network, which is home to over 43,000 customers and covers 270,000 UK premises (aiming to reach 600,000 in the future), first began deploying across Grimsby a few years back and ended up covering around 15-20% of local premises before stopping. But Grain is now in the process of expanding upon this, primarily by moving westward from the town centre (e.g. the streets around Haven Avenue and Vera Terrace).
The official announcement doesn’t say much more than to confirm that “even more homes in town can now get connected,” although it’s an unusual move given the presence of so many rivals. The town is already well covered by FTTP from Openreach, Virgin Media and MS3. Not to mention some more limited network builds, such as from KCOM.
So far as we can tell, Grain’s expansion area is largely already being covered by three of their rivals, which makes it difficult to understand their rationale. Sadly, the announcement doesn’t mention how many premises they’re aiming to cover.