WightFibre has announced the completion of their Big Copper Switch-off on Thursday (25th August) – a full 10 years ahead of the rest of the UK.
WightFibre has been operating a hybrid fibre-coaxial network (cable) network on the Isle of Wight since 2001, and in 2018 commenced the rollout of a new full-fibre network across the island. Earlier this year the final few cable customers were upgraded to the new network.
Over the summer the last few phone-only customers were upgraded allowing the old copper network to finally be decommissioned.
The entire network is now fully optical right into the customer premise. Each home has its own dedicated fibre optic cables – no sharing with neighbours – providing world-class broadband speeds.
John Irvine, WightFibre CEO, said:
“Our big copper switch-off was a major undertaking. For most customers the migration to full-fibre was seamless – their existing phones and analogue devices are supported on the new network with the notable exception of rotary dial telephones – thankfully there were only a few of those.
“A small number of customers with very old alarm systems did need to upgrade their alarm systems as these are incompatible with full-fibre. With business customers, this extended to some older dial-up credit card machines and fax machines.
“Overall the process ran fairly smoothly. Our customers love the new network, the faster speeds, and the much-improved reliability.”
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Most of the island never had access to any of their services anyway. Even on dish.
Huh? No fibre on our road yet…..
The article is about them having replaced all of their old “Wight Cable” coax with fibre.
Pays to read the entire article instead of just the headline.
And look at the resultant mess and chaos. Oh yipee. Not.
Badly filled in trenches, the one in Oakhill Road Ryde is already sinking after just a few weeks, if on a bike it pulls you to one side, the whole road works seem to be a bodged job.
Look at the cutting-edge services it has brought to schools and businesses allowing them access to next-gen services. It’s allowing far more people to work from home helping cut carbon emissions by reducing travel.
What about the cost-saving they provide to struggling families?
More importantly, it’s allowing parents to get some peace and quiet when kids’ games update in record time.
You are incredibly blind if you can’t see the benefits of the service.
30Mb cable is good enough for 99% of users including working from home.
Not if you want to use the streaming services for TV etc. 30MB might be OK for single users in the home but not for families
‘far more people’ than who?
Far more people are still using BT, Virgin, Sky etc without the appalling damage to roads and other services that Wightfibre have caused and at a lower cost.
Furthermore in normal every day use who can actually tell the difference between 400mbs and 90mbs.
It costs around £1.24 a day to run a desk top computer plus all the other extras, lights etc., if the best advertisement you can come up with for expensive unnecessary superfast broadband is to upgrade children’s computer games I don’t think that you’ve really grasped the concept of ‘struggling families’!
The more concerning trend is, just how will future and current Governments ‘use’ the hi tech network?
As our currency is replaced by digital, our fuel controlled by digital meters, HMG will know in the future everything you earn, what you spend and what on.
The power meters will know if you charge an electric car, and likely charge you a different rate, for doing so, so as HMG can claw back lost revenue in fuel duty.
Whilst hi speed networks are eagerly sold to the dim for uploading films etc, I imagine the Gov has better reasons for funding wightfiber, which will only become apparent when we are all ensnared.
You are spot on with so called smart meters and battery cars, as soon as enough people have been forced into running the things, there will be a 75 per cent tax on each charge to replace fuel duty being lost, and why would a goverment want to spend billions on a network nobody asked for or seems to want?
We only have Wightfibre on one side of our street, it was installed three years ago, the other side of the street still has to wait for at least another six months. Their installation organisation is chaotic to say the least.
Excellent service from Wight Fibre and much better than the old system including cost !!!!
Total rubbish and lies. I have been with Wightfibre for three and a half years and am still on a copper BT phone line as Wightfibre refuse to install a fibre optic connection. Will not be renewing my contract with this deceitful company.
At least you will be able to use your phone during a power cut.
The article is about them replacing their coaxial network with full fibre and refers to them upgrading all of their existing cable TV customers to fibre. Pays to read the article before commenting.
Good luck with whatever broadband provider you move to, because I can guarantee their customer service will be utterly shocking compared to WF. When you discover that, there will be no moving back to WF as they have discontinued their LLU/FTTC service for new customers so you will be stuck.
You should perhaps follow your own advice and actually read the article because it then continues
‘Over the summer the last few phone-only customers were upgraded allowing the old copper network to finally be decommissioned.’
They were still referring to their coax service which had some phone only customers on it.
They can’t decommission LLU/FTTC anyway as it’s all owned by BT Openreach.
Bet you feel a bit sheepish now, don’t you?
No? Well you should.
Try taking your own advice and you wouldn’t look so stupid. The article reads “every home has its own dedicated fibre optic cable”. This is rubbish – many homes, mine included, do not have a fibre optic cable and will not do so for a long time to come. This company continually lies, do not care about their customers, and are not worth spit.
I recently had wightfibre in my area, they looked at my house and refused to install the cable as it requires BT to do “something” – and that’s it no fibre for me, thanks
Again, they mean every home that was connected to their own copper coax service now has a full fibre connection.
This is not hard to get your head around and it’s all there in black and white.
Only a compete imbecile would think they meant every single home on the Isle of Wight.
Oh my giddy aunt, WHAT IS WRONG WITH SOME ISLE OF WIGHT PEOPLE!!! For once iow is ahead of the curve and all you can do is bl**dy moan moan moan moan!!!!!. The fibre network will be a selling point for companies relocating (or staying), it is a good thing for employment and young people on the island, but of course the professional gripers don’t give a monkeys, it’s new age, its progress… SO CRUSH IT AT ALL COSTS!? Sad sad sad people. I honestly don’t understand the mentality of iow people, I feel especially sorry for the young growing up in such a negative apathetic atmosphere. What hope is there for them..
The point isn’t about the technology but how do you know that the IW is ‘ahead of the curve’ if that is based on inaccurate information put out by the company making the claim?
fyi (NOT from Wightfibre either.)
13 years ahead of the rest of the UK
BT Openreach has a target date of 2035 for their Big Copper Switch-off with the focus now on the PSTN switch-off (which WightFibre achieved in 2018).
This places the Isle of Wight a full 13 years ahead of the rest of the UK helping make the Isle of Wight a great place to live, work and play.
Nothing on our road either, letter arrived saying it was being done in July?? Go figure.
Shame they haven’t restored the grass bank outside our house where they dug holes etc looks right mess now and the path outside our house a mess shame