County Broadband, an Essex-based provider rolling full-fibre networks across rural East Anglia, is celebrating its first-ever national recognition after being shortlisted in the Best Rural ISP (Internet Service Provider) category at the ISPA Awards 2020, run by the Internet Services Providers’ Association (ISPA UK).
County Broadband is rolling out full-fibre networks to rural and remote premises in the region following a £46m private investment from Aviva Investors. Lloyd Felton, chief executive of County Broadband, based in Aldham, said: ‘We are very excited to have achieved our first-ever national recognition with this shortlisting. It recognises the hard work of our employees, and it’s nice to have something such as this to celebrate, particularly during such challenging and difficult times.
‘The shortlisting is testament to our rapid growth, investment in local people and skills, and our community engagement. Thousands of residents and businesses fed up with poor rural digital connectivity have given the green light to have our network built in their village.
‘The coronavirus lockdown has shown just how outdated our broadband infrastructure is and the importance of fast, reliable connections. We look forward to connecting thousands more rural and hard-to-reach premises across rural East Anglia over the coming months.’
County Broadband’s Hyperfast full-fibre network is being built in over 50 villages in Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire, with plans to connect 20,000 premises by Christmas 2020.
Andrew Glover, chair of the ISPA, said: ‘This year’s shortlisted ISPA Awards finalists demonstrate the high calibre and diversity of ISPs across the UK, who continue to drive growth and innovation across the internet industry.’
The winners of the 22nd annual awards will be announced on 18 November 2020. See the full shortlist.