Cowes: WightFibre broadband twice BT’s fastest speeds

A broadband company will launch Internet speeds on the Isle of Wight next month which will be twice as fast as any other service available on the island.

The island’s only local broadband company, WightFibre is introducing a superfast 152Mbps speed that is at least double what all other providers dependent on BT’s network can claim.

Independent speed tests conducted by Ookla at IsleofWightSpeedTest.com show BT’s average speed on the island is 14.18Mbps. WightFibre’s average speed is twice that at 28.49Mbps.

After tripling speeds to island homes earlier this year, WightFibre completed its biggest-ever network upgrade over the summer allowing the launch of this new top speed.  This will be available to all streets on the island served by WightFibre’s superior fibre optic cable network.

Existing WightFibre 120Mbps customers will receive the new speed automatically for no increase in their charges.

WightFibre CEO John Irvine said: “As people connect more things to the Internet more often – TVs, tablets, smartphones and laptops, all at the same time – they need powerful broadband with the bandwidth to deliver a great experience for everyone in the home.

“The volume of Internet traffic enjoyed by WightFibre customers at peak times has already grown 50% in the past nine months and over 200% since the company re-launched as WightFibre in July 2012. These are much higher than national averages showing the WightFibre network is capable of delivering greater performance that other providers who are reliant on BT’s network.

“WightFibre’s network operates completely independently of BT. Our top speed is now twice as fast as BT, Sky, TalkTalk and all the others reliant on BT’s older infrastructure as we extend our lead as the Isle of Wight’s fastest broadband provider.”

The new 152Mb top speed means users can download an HD movie in less than five minutes and an entire music album in a matter of seconds, but the superfast service will really come into its own when people get online at the same time and need of plenty of Internet bandwidth.

The boost keeps WightFibre broadband a step ahead of the growing needs of island households, said Irvine. Families are already streaming entertainment on computers, tablets, smartphones and smart TVs while sharing news and views over social media and taking on the world with online games consoles, meaning the demand for more bandwidth continues to increase.

One of the first beneficiaries of this new faster speed will be the island’s fastest public hotspot at JR Zone.

An indoor adventure play area and laser quest venue in Newport, JR Zone provides speeds of 152Mbps free to customers. The new fibre optic WiFi hotspot means parents can enjoy unlimited, superfast Internet access on their smart phones, tablets and laptops while their children enjoy the fun of JR Zone’s adventure play area.

Peter Tomlinson, owner of JR Zone, said: “While JR Zone is all about children having fun and giving parents a break, we wanted to do something more for our parents.”