How we build our full fibre network
Building our own brand-new full fibre network does take time. So, how are we doing it?
Full fibre or Fibre-to-the-Premise (FTTP) means the connection to the internet uses fibre optic for the whole of the route from the exchange into our homes. Our highly skilled team work alongside our build partners and Nokia, our technology partner, to design our state-of-the-art network so it can be built efficiently with minimum disruption.
We’re building as environmentally kindly as we can
We do this by re-using existing infrastructure wherever possible, such as telegraph poles and ducts (like big pipes) that are already underground; and by using the latest digital tools to plan our network we minimise disruption and increase our speed of deployment. Inevitably there will be some build works but we minimise that as much as we can.
We’re committed to supporting local communities and to our environment so at every opportunity we’re investing in greener, cleaner ways of building and asking our partners to meet our same high standards.
What’s involved?
Building a brand new, end-to-end network from the internet and right into customers’ homes does take time but we’re working at ‘light-speed’. By using the ducts and poles that are already in each town it means we don’t start by digging trenches in the footpaths like other networks but where we can’t use existing duct, we have to do some trenching. And we don’t put green cabinets in the streets either. Instead we fix our brackets and equipment to the tops of poles and dig holes for underground chambers so we can connect everything up. We may need to dig across some roads, but we work closely with the local council and Highway authorities to make sure residents know before any work begins.
We put our equipment and electronics in the local telephone exchanges in the towns we are building in, then we ‘blow the fibre’ to connect the poles, and underground boxes in our network up so that each street has a connection to the internet. And because it’s our network from end-to-end we don’t rely on the outdated copper telephone lines (or the green cabinets).
Next, we test the network on both a town and street level to make sure everything is working as it should be before we open it up for connections to individual homes and businesses. More streets and homes can then be added to the network as soon as they are tested and so our coverage continues to grow across each of our towns. Once testing is complete we’re ready for taking customer orders and arranging home setup appointments.
Using state-of-the-art technology
Our network will deliver 1 Gigabit per second (1000 Mbps) upload and download speeds directly into homes and businesses. To do this we’re using the latest Passive Optical Network technology, or XGS-PON. This futureproofs our network which means we’ll be able to offer our customers symmetrical speeds (the same upload and download speeds) of up to 10Gb in the future as demand increases. We won’t need to replace equipment or rebuild the network to increase the speed customers can get from 1Gb to 10Gb.
If you’re registered and your home can be connected to our LightSpeed network, then you’ll hear from us as soon as we switch your street on.
1 Gigabit per second. This is life at LightSpeed.