Hampshire-based network builder and gigabit broadband ISP toob, which is rolling out their own full fibre (FTTP) network and also sharing some of CityFibre’s similar infrastructure in parts of South England, has today announced that they’re extending their own network near Fareham into the nearby Locks Heath area.
Under the new plan, toob will invest £5 million to extend their Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) infrastructure into Locks Heath and the surrounding area – covering 12,000 homes and businesses. The new network should be ready for its first connections in July 2024, with the deployment continuing across Locks Heath, Park Gate, Warsash, and the surrounding areas.
Toob was originally backed by £75m from the Amber Infrastructure Group (here) and “up to” £87.5m from the Sequoia Economic Infrastructure Income Fund (here). During 2023 the operator also secured £160m of additional funding (debt financing) from Ares Management‘s Infrastructure Debt strategy (here) – this can be upsized to £300m over time to support growth.
Nick Parbutt, CEO of toob, said:
“We are delighted that our network is expanding to Locks Heath, Park Gate, Warsash, and the surrounding areas. toob has been built on our belief that access to fast, reliable broadband at an affordable price is a necessity in today’s increasingly digital world. That’s why we are committed to delivering the fastest, most reliable service, using the latest full-fibre technology, at an affordable price.”
Customers of the service typically pay just £25 per month on an 18-month term for their 900Mbps (symmetric speed) package (£29 thereafter), which includes a router, unlimited usage, free installation and a pledge of “no in-contract price rises“. But toob is due to increase the pricing for new customers from £25 to £29 in mid-May (£33 thereafter).