Currently, the Isle of Man has only around 25% fibre penetration, but this could be about to change with a new £10 million contract being awarded to Manx Telecom today by the local government. …
Currently, the Isle of Man has only around 25% fibre penetration, but this could be about to change with a new £10 million contract being awarded to Manx Telecom today by the local government.
This plan has been in the works a long time, having first been approved by the regional government of the Isle of Man, Tynwald, back in October 2018.
Manx Telecom has been steadily increasing its fibre rollout on the island since 2017, but the coronavirus has notably slowed deployment. By the end of 2019, the company claimed to have reached around 10,000 premises on the island.
However, with this new cash injection, Manx Telecom hopes to extend coverage of the islands premises to 99% by 2025.
“We have always supported the expansion of this network as part of our commitment to keep the Isle of Man at the forefront of digital technology and we welcome the opportunity to work with the Isle of Man Government to roll-out fibre to all parts of the Island, including rural areas,” said Gary Lamb, CEO of Manx Telecom.
Rural areas will be a particular focus of the new investment, with the contract specifically targetting ‘difficult to reach areas’.
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