Original post by WIRED.co.uk
Hyperoptic is the first residential broadband provider to offer a 1GB symmetric (i.e. upload and download speed) service, starting with coverage in London. It was founded by Boris Ivanovic and Dana Tobak, who co-founded internet service provider Be in 2005. Wired.co.uk caught up with Ivanovic.
Founders: Dana Tobak and Boris Ivanovic
Launched: End of 2011
Funding: Privately-funded
Employees: 26
What problem do you solve?
Hyperoptic was founded in response to market demand. The UK is highly reliant on broadband — the internet contributes more to the country’s GDP than any other G20 nation — but worryingly it doesn’t even make the top 15 countries for broadband speeds. Incumbents and the Government are prioritising coverage over speed, which means that even in many urban areas the speeds on offer are cripplingly slow. As an example, London doesn’t even figure in the top thirty cities for broadband speeds.
There is a market opportunity for the private sector to focus on hyper-fast broadband, leaving the Government to concentrate its efforts on providing subsidised broadband access where such services aren’t commercially viable. Innovative new consumer services are being launched every day, but people can’t get the best out of them with an unreliable connection that grinds to a halt at peak time. We wanted to address this, one city at a time, starting with London.
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