Alternative network operator Grain (Grain Connect), which has already grown their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to cover 220k UK premises RFS (21st May 2024) and 30k customers, has announced that they’re going to expand their existing deployment in the East Yorkshire city of Hull.
The operators full fibre network can currently be found in parts of 59 UK locations (plus over 150 new build housing developments), which includes a lot of small-to-modest sized patches of various urban areas like Leicester, Liverpool, Accrington, Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Scarborough, Carlisle, Barrow-in-Furness, Hartlepool, Newport, Sunderland, Blackburn and so forth.
Grain’s deployment in Hull first went live all the way back in mid-2023 (here) and at that point their network was claiming to have reached around 20,000 premises, although they’ve since expanded a bit more. This is despite facing aggressive competition from gigabit-capable rivals like KCOM (the local incumbent), Connexin and MS3.
However, despite the seemingly high level of local overbuild, it appears as if Grain are now “excited to bring our gigabit network to more areas across Hull“. But the catch is that they haven’t said precisely how many premises will benefit from this expansion, over what timescale or which new areas they’re intending to target.
“Unlike some providers, we’ve adopted a more thoughtful approach to our network expansion by keeping our infrastructure out of sight. All of Grain’s optical cables are installed underground, meaning there’s no need for unsightly telegraph poles. This not only improves connectivity but also respects Hull’s landscape and local concerns,” added Grain’s announcement.
Customers of the new service normally pay from just £19.99 per month (currently discounted to £9.99 for 6 months) for a symmetric 150Mbps package on an 18-month term, which goes up to just £29.99 (discounted to £14.99 for 6 months) for their top 900Mbps plan. But take note that out-of-contract prices are £5 higher than this.