Network operator and UK ISP LightSpeed Broadband, which has already built their gigabit-capable full fibre (FTTP) network to cover 250,000 premises across the East of England and West Midlands, has today revealed that their new network has started to launch “in the Staffordshire region” with the town of Kidsgrove and village of Scholar Green (the latter is more in Cheshire).
The announcement states that approximately 5,400 premises (homes and businesses) have already been covered in both locations, although this should increase to a total of 10,000 by the end of this Spring. The development follows shortly after LightSpeed confirmed that they’d begun to go live across the neighbouring coastal Norfolk towns of Cromer and Sheringham (here).
The provider, which in 2023 was acquired by Kompass Kapital (here) after suffering some job cuts and a build slowdown in the East of England (here), is currently busy deploying across parts of over 30 market towns in South Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Cambridgeshire, and Rutland.
In terms of Kidsgrove and Scholar Green, both Openreach and Virgin Media (inc. nexfibre) already have strong levels of gigabit-capable broadband coverage, but there is no other significant presence from any alternative networks.
Brett Shepherd, CEO of LightSpeed, said:
“We’re bringing our offering to Kidsgrove and Scholar Green to support the changing ways society stays connected.
From keen gamers to businesses and everyone in between, LightSpeed delivers a broadband connection experience that is seamless and ultrafast.
We’re excited for Kidsgrove and Scholar Green residents to see the benefits of joining our network for themselves and welcome our first customers to their new digital experience.”
Residential customers of the service typically pay from £18.99 per month on a 24-month term for symmetric speeds of 75Mbps, which rises to £54.99 for their top 2,000Mbps tier. The package includes a wireless router and free activation, except on their 75Mbps plan, where there’s a £30 one-off activation charge. A number of packages are also throwing in Amazon shopping vouchers worth between £30 and £130.
Customers can optionally add a Home Phone plan for £4.80 a month, as well as a Static IP for £6 or a signal-extending Wi-Fi mesh from £8.99.