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| Submission declined on 17 September 2024 by Miminity (talk). This submission appears to read more like an advertisement than an entry in an encyclopedia. Encyclopedia articles need to be written from a neutral point of view, and should refer to a range of independent, reliable, published sources, not just to materials produced by the creator of the subject being discussed. This is important so that the article can meet Wikipedia's verifiability policy and the notability of the subject can be established. If you still feel that this subject is worthy of inclusion in Wikipedia, please rewrite your submission to comply with these policies. Declined by Miminity 53 days ago. | |
| Submission declined on 16 September 2024 by GrabUp (talk). This submission appears to read more like an advertisement than an entry in an encyclopedia. Encyclopedia articles need to be written from a neutral point of view, and should refer to a range of independent, reliable, published sources, not just to materials produced by the creator of the subject being discussed. This is important so that the article can meet Wikipedia's verifiability policy and the notability of the subject can be established. If you still feel that this subject is worthy of inclusion in Wikipedia, please rewrite your submission to comply with these policies. Declined by GrabUp 54 days ago. | |
Comment: Routine announcements do not count towards notability per WP:ORGTRIV. C F A 💬 22:18, 19 October 2024 (UTC)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry |
|
| Founded | July 19, 2016 in Carlisle, UK |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | United Kingdom |
Key people | Sean Williams, Director. Richard Cameron, CEO. |
| Products | |
| Website | www |
Grain Connect Ltd (commonly known as Grain Connect, trading as Grain or Grain broadband) is a British telecommunications company, providing internet access and VoIP telephone services to business and consumers in the United Kingdom.
Headquartered in Carlisle, England, Grain was founded in 2016 as a joint venture between telecommunications company Solway Communications Limited and Pinnacle Group Limited[1].
It is one of the UK’s altnets (alternative network provider), in reference to being an alternative to Openreach. As an altnet internet service provider (ISP), Grain owns and operates an independent Point-to-Point (PTP), Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) infrastructure.
Altnet providers have grown significantly in recent years, driven by increased demand for high-speed broadband and a competitive regulatory environment that encourages investment in new infrastructure.[2]
Altnets account for a growing portion of the UK’s fibre broadband network. As of 2024 some estimates suggest they account for 35% of all premises passed with fibre[3]. These independent operators target both urban and rural areas, with a focus on providing faster, more reliable internet compared to legacy copper-based systems. [4] Altnets are seen as a critical part of the UK’s goal to achieve 85% gigabit-capable broadband coverage by 2025[5].
As of Q3 2024, Grain had a total of approximately 30,000 connected customers and has over 230,000 connectable premises[6] on its network. It competes primarily with Virgin Media, Sky, BT (EE) and TalkTalk in the areas it services.
History
editCompany names:
Grain Connect Limited’s origins date back to 2013, when telecommunications company Solway Communications trialled supplying Full Fibre broadband to Story Homes' Crindledyke development in Carlisle, England.[9]
Following the trial, Grain was incorporated with Companies House on 19 Jul 2016 as ‘FIBRE UN LIMITED’[10], as a joint venture between Solway Communications and Pinnacle Group. The headquarters were set-up in Carlisle.
Grain was launched in response to market demand for gigabit enabled consumer broadband, with the UK average download speed at the time of inception being only 15Mbps[11] – ranking the UK in 20th place for broadband speeds, globally.
Following a name change to ‘Grain Connect Limited’ in 2017, Grain launched its first new build development project, Countesswells in Aberdeen.[12]
In 2019, Grain secured a £10 million investment from Albion Capital[13], a UK-based venture capital firm specializing in technology and healthcare.
In 2020, Grain expanded its focus from connecting new build developments to rolling out Full Fibre broadband services in towns and cities across the UK, starting with Carlisle.
After a year-long trial, Grain embarked on a larger urban expansion, targeting 12 areas primarily in the North of England, including Carlisle, Barrow, Blackburn, Accrington, Scarborough, Leicester, Grimsby, Hartlepool, Bradford, Oldham, Manchester, and Newcastle.[14] From a small start-up, Grain experienced rapid organic growth when it received a further £75 million investment from Equitix[15], an international investor and fund manager in infrastructure projects.
By 2022, Grain reached a significant milestone by connecting 100 new build developments[16] to its network. It also secured a new agreement with Nord Bank[17], which provided an initial £40 million facility to further accelerate the national network rollout.
Network
editGrain uses Point-to-Point (PTP), Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) infrastructure, across the UK and by Q2 2024, the company had connected in excess of 30,000 customers[18].
Coverage
editUrban areas
Accrington, Barrow, Birmingham, Blackburn, Blackpool, Blyth, Bolton, Bradford, Brighton, Burnley, Cambridge, Cardiff, Carlisle, Castleford, Cleethorpes, Durham, Gateshead, Gillingham, Grimsby, Halifax, Hartlepool, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Newport, Nottingham, North Shields, Oldham, Preston, Reading, Scarborough, Seaham, South Shields, St Helens, Sunderland, Thornaby, Tonypandy, Tynemouth, Wallsend, Warrington, Watford, Whitley Bay, Widnes, Wolverhampton.[19]
New build areas
Aberdeen, Alnwick, Auchterarder, Aylesbury, Bedworth, Bicester, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Blackburn, Bolton, Brampton, Brighouse, Bristol, Broxburn, Buxton, Calne, Cambridge, Carlisle, Chesterfield, Chippenham, Chorley, Cirencester, Cockermouth, Colchester, Croydon, Cumbria, Darlington, Dumfries, Durham, Dursley, East Kilbride, Edinburgh, Ellesmere Port, Falkirk, Forest Town, Glasgow, Gloucester, Haverhill, Highbridge, Kendal, Kilmarnock, Lancaster, Leeds, Leicester, Littlehampton, London, Longniddry, Lower Stondon, Lowton, Lutterworth, Manchester, Melton Mowbray, Nelson, North Shields, Northampton, Nottingham, Oxford, Paisley, Penrith, Perth, Preston, Prestonpans, Reading, Seaford, Shefford, Shotts, St Andrews, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent, Swindon, Telford, Thirsk, Tranent, Ulverston, Wadebridge, Walsall, Warrington, West Malling, Weston-Super-Mare, Whitchurch, Whitley Bay, Wigan, Worcester, Workington, Worksop, Yarm, York.[20]
Operations
editThe Grain Connect Limited headquarters are based in Carlisle, Cumbria in England.
Corporate affairs
editSenior management
Company Director, Sean Williams[21], was appointed in February 2019.
Grain’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Richard Cameron[22], was appointed in April 2021.
Controversies
editThe use of telegraph poles had become a controversial feature of altnet network rollouts with a backlash from residents over the installation of telegraph poles using permitted development rights. Government Minister Chris Bryant has told companies he would not hesitate to change the regulations or bring in legislative options to ensure "community concerns" are taken into account[23] when deploying infrastructure. In 2023 Grain announced that they would not be installing any telegraph poles in their network.[24]
References
edit- ^ Jackson, Mark (2021-10-27). "Broadband ISP Solway Communications Acquired by Voneus UK". ISPReview.
- ^ Miller, Guy (13 December 2023). "What impact have altnets had on the UK's broadband market?". itpro.com. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ^ "The State of the Altnets in 2024". INCA. 11 April 2024.
- ^ Jackson, Mark (6 February 2023). "A Quick Look at the Changing Growth of UK Full Fibre AltNets". ISPReview.
- ^ Clark, Adam (2023-07-03). "Gigabit broadband in the UK: Government targets, policy, and funding". UK Parliament.
- ^ "Grain Expands UK Full Fibre Broadband to 236,000 Premises". Ground News. 25 April 2024.
- ^ "Find & Update Company Information". Companies House.
- ^ "Grain Connect Limited". Companies House.
- ^ "New Homes at Crindledyke Farm get fastest UK broadband". Story Homes. 13 November 2013.
- ^ "Grain Connect Limited". Companies House.
- ^ "Average UK Internet Speeds Hit 15Mbps as World Rank Falls to 20th". ISPReview. 29 September 2016.
- ^ "Private sector investment brings UKs fastest broadband to Aberdeen". Scottish Financial News. 18 April 2017.
- ^ "Grain Connect moves to the next level for UK full-fibre broadband installation programme". Pinnacle Group. 5 November 2019.
- ^ "Barrow among first to benefit from Grain Connect broadband investment". North West Evening Mail. 12 April 2022.
- ^ Jackson, Mark (2021-08-05). "Grain Prep GBP175m Plan for Large UK FTTP Broadband Rollout". ISPReview.
- ^ "Grain expands fibre network as CityFibre hits gigabit roll-out accelerator". Computerweekly.com.
- ^ Jackson, Mark (2023-03-01). "Huge £130m Boost for Grain's UK FTTP Broadband Rollout". ISPReview.
- ^ Walker, Max (2024-05-24). "Grain Reaches 30,000 Connected Customers on Their Full Fibre Network". Fibrenews.
- ^ "UK Broadband Coverage & Speedtest Result Maps". Think Broadband.
- ^ "UK Broadband Coverage & Speedtest Result Maps". Thinkbroadband.com.
- ^ Williams, Sean. "Sean Mountford Graham WILLIAMS". Companies House.
- ^ Cameron, Richard. "Richard CAMERON". Companies House.
- ^ Robinson, Dan. "UK minister tells telcos to share telegraph poles if they can't lay cable underground". The Register.
- ^ Jackson, Mark (2023-09-17). "Responding to Protests – Grain Pledges to Never Use Telecoms Poles". ISPReview.
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