Full fibre broadband has arrived in Penrith, giving 7,600 homes and businesses with hyperfast connections for the first time.
It is the first town in the county to be targeted by Fibrus, which has been awarded £200 million in state support to bring full fibre broadband to Cumbria.
Fibrus will provide every home and business in Penrith with the opportunity to connect to a hyperfast full fibre network for the first time, deploying a total of 225km of full fibre optic cable in the town.
The company plans to launch full fibre in Kendal, Burneside, Staveley, Windermere, Bowness-on-Windermere, and Ambleside.
Fibrus is focused on supporting local communities, not just with the provision of hyperfast broadband to rural areas, but through the creation of around 100 jobs in the region.
Dean Jooste, regional director at Fibrus, said: “We are delighted to have launched in Penrith, providing locals with access to fast, reliable and affordable broadband. We know that many rural communities are deprived of hyperfast broadband, having been underserved by the big providers, which is something we aim to change with our expansion across Great Britain. Finally rural residents will have an option to buy proper fibre broadband from a broadband company.”
Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, added: “I’m pleased to welcome Fibrus to Penrith – full fibre broadband is a gold standard for connectivity, and so I’m delighted that many of my constituents will now have access to it, and that over 100 jobs have been created in the local area in order to deliver it.
“But there is still more to do – that is why I welcome Fibrus’ ambitious plans for future roll outs across the area. I will continue to work with all providers including Fibrus, and with the Government, to give the people of Penrith and The Border the broadband access they deserve. It is so important that the harder to reach areas of rural Cumbria are not forgotten about and that is a key part of my Better Connectivity campaign.”
