Glasgow goes gigabit as Hyperoptic connects first customers to fibre

Download speeds of up to 1Gbps (1,000Mbps) are now available in parts of Glasgow, courtesy of fibre ISP Hyperoptic. 

Residents of Glasgow Harbour are the first customers in Scotland’s biggest city to feel the benefits of Hyperoptic’s FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) lines which guarantee consistent speeds at peak times and come with an unlimited downloads and no traffic shaping as standard. 

As Hyperoptic delivers fibre straight to the premises, there’s no copper last mile, therefore no interference and no postcode speed lottery, compared to what you’d get with an FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet)-based service. 

Related: How to get free gigabit broadband for a year – Become a Hyperoptic ChampionHyperoptic’s entry-level service offers 20Mbps download and 1Mbps upload speeds. You can also get symmetrical 100Mbps and 1Gbps packages – the download and upload speeds are the same – should you need more bandwidth. 

Rod McKendrick, a resident of the Glasgow Harbour bemoaned the previous state of service in his area where getting 3Mbps was considered a luxury. McKendrick said: “The slow speeds hugely impacted my quality of life – streaming even standard definition TV was impossible.

“With hyperfast speeds comes limitless possibilities, I can enjoy a video on YouTube whenever I want, watch HD movies from across the globe – and other people can access my Internet at the same time without there being any degradation in the quality. It is just such a relief to finally have a service that works.”

The Glasgow Harbour development is the first of many locations earmarked by Hyperoptic for expansion. The London-based fibre ISP typically targets new build developments with 50 or more units and prioritises installations where demand is highest. 

Generally speaking, Hyperoptic doesn’t tend to go for the areas targeted by the likes of BT or Virgin Media, so if you see any green or grey street cabinets springing up in your area, the chances are Hyperoptic won’t be riding to your rescue. That said, managing director Dana Tobak hasn’t totally ruled out the possibility of bringing Hyperoptic services to social housing in the future. 

Hyperoptic charges £11/month for it’s basic service and £25/month and £51/month for the 100Mbps and 1Gbps packages. Line rental is charged at £16/month as standard, although if you want a broadband only service with no line rental, there’s that option too. 

As well as Glasgow, Hyperoptic has also connected customers in London, Cardiff, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Nottingham.