NextGenUs bringing fibre broadband to 10,000 rural properties

Fibrestream parent company NextGenUs has announced plans to bring fibre optic broadband to as many as 10,000 rural homes and businesses across the UK.

The community broadband specialist has launched a competition, entitled Beyond Infinity, that aims to deliver fibre to the home (FTTH) to 24 communities.

Under the initiative, residents and employers in remote parts of the country will be able to register their interest in receiving fibre broadband.

Once the successful applicants are chosen, NextGenUs and AFL Telecommunications will carry out the deployment courtesy of £10 million of private investment, rather than relying on taxpayers' money.

Simon Davison, technical director of NextGenUs, said the company "does not recognise the sticking plaster solutions to [next-generation access] services delivered over copper infrastructure being touted by BT".

The firm launched the UK's first ever rural FTTH network in Ashby de la Launde, Lincolnshire, boosting average broadband speeds from less than 0.5Mbps to 100Mbps.

Installation of the community interest-owned infrastructure kicked off in August 2010.