Leading internet provider Quickline Communications is claiming to be the first company in the UK to offer standalone 5G technology.
The investment from the recently-acquired Hull firm brings superfast and ultrafast speeds to the rural communities it specialises in serving.
Chief executive Sean Royce said: “As technical innovators, this UK first is fantastic news not only for us at Quickline, but also for our customers.
Read more: Huge growth plans for heavily invested Quickline unveiled with 100 plus jobs and new HQ
“When other companies talk about offering 5G, they mean adding another layer to their legacy network. What we are doing is building a completely fresh network, with leading edge solutions which are not hindered by legacy technologies allowing us to be more agile and adaptive to customer needs. Our network also leaves a much lower carbon footprint.”
The announcement is billed as a significant achievement for the firm, placing the Hessle team at the forefront of 5G technology.
The company will be delivering 5G standalone to both new and existing customers, across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and beyond, which means residents and businesses will be able to achieve speeds of up to 450 mbps, with plans to increase to gigabit capability by the summer.
Having 5G standalone technology will produce a better, faster and more reliable online experience for customers, including higher quality video and audio streaming, smoother video calls, the ability to download large files quickly, upload and send images much faster and even check out on shopping sites with no stalling.
Mr Royce, who joined after leaving city giant KCom, said: “This underlines our core belief that having reliable access to the internet is for everyone, no matter where you live or work. “It certainly shouldn’t be based on geography. Bringing superfast and ultrafast speeds to towns and cities is expected – but what we’re doing is engaging with communities in isolated, rural areas that have, up to now, had unacceptable broadband connectivity – and we’re thrilled to be able to even up this digital divide.”
It comes as Lissington, near Market Rasen, has just been connected to ultrafast broadband through a full fibre roll-out - the first county completion for the firm having been awarded the £6.1 million BDUK Broadband grant by Lincolnshire County Council 16 months ago.
Quickline chief operating officer, Lee Allison, said: “It is so important for rural areas to get the same fast, reliable and secure internet as everyone else. Our focus at Quickline is to even up that digital divide. The last two years have shown us just how essential it is to have broadband you can depend on.
“We have a unique approach to rolling out broadband which enables us to reach remote rural communities where others simply can’t or won’t. We build a hybrid network, so a combination of fibre and fixed wireless access, to connect these areas. For Lissington, we were able to go full fibre – and we are really proud to say that Lissington is our very first full fibre village in Lincolnshire - and with speeds of to 900mbps, they may well be the envy of people living and working in cities up and down the UK.”
Residents, who have previously struggled with connectivity, will now benefit from download speeds of up to 900mbps.
Ian Knowles, chief executive of West Lindsey District Council, said: “Rural communities like ours have been left trailing behind our counterparts in urban areas for far too long, so it’s fantastic that our residents and businesses will finally have access to ultrafast internet speeds as a result of Quickline’s innovative technology.
"We’ve seen without a shadow of a doubt during the pandemic how important reliable connectivity is. It’s an absolute necessity in this day and age and having full fibre in Lissington supports West Lindsey’s commitment to achieving a better connected region.”
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