Broadband provider marks 150th free community connection

South West-based full-fibre broadband provider Truespeed has now connected its 150th community organisation for free.

St Benedict’s Junior School in Glastonbury has become the latest recipient of Truespeed’s ‘free broadband for life’ promise, which is offered to a community venue or school in each area the Bath-based company expands into.

In eight years the company has connected 40 schools and 110 community hubs, giving more than 5,700 children direct access to full-fibre broadband.

James Lowther, chief Executive, Truespeed, said: “At Truespeed, we believe everyone should have access to reliable, ultrafast broadband. When we invest in an area, by putting our infrastructure in the ground, we have the opportunity to offer our service to as many people as possible, so the community can reap the rewards of better connectivity.

“By offering “free broadband for life” for schools and community venues, we extend the benefits of ultrafast connectivity to those who may not be able to afford broadband or computing services at home. This then frees up budget lines for recipient schools and organisations, like St Benedict’s, to reinvest that dividend elsewhere

Piers Ranger, headteacher of St Benedict’s Junior School, said: “Reliable connectivity is essential to the school as we utilise multiple online apps and learning platforms. Our previous broadband would buffer constantly and it was a struggle to upload documents, so the difference in the speed and reliability of our connection since having Truespeed is remarkable. It’s had a hugely positive impact for students and teachers, and we now have a wonderful opportunity to invest in our ICT hardware thanks to the money we’re saving by Truespeed providing the service free of charge.”