A new fibre optic broadband player called Hyperoptic could be about to make its mark in the UK. It has been set up by the original founders of broadband provider BE which was sold to O2 a year and a half after conception according to ZDNet. Hyperoptic are set to go live in September and offer broadband speeds over fibre of up to 1Gbps.

There aren't plans for mass coverage however. The company will be focusing deployments on pockets of users which it can reach through one fibre, which will aim them largely at buildings with 50 or more flats. This could see full fibre deployed to the end user premises (FTTH) or fibre to the basement and the use of gigabit Ethernet connections from there.

Hyperoptic are keen to avoid tie-ins to companies such as BT and intend to use fibre from other companies if this is appropriate. Whilst they may obviously put some kit in to BT exchanges, they intend to keep control of the network and manage this throughout.

"Pushing the boundaries of online connection speed is a passion of mine. Consumers, especially in the UK, simply accept that their online connection is not as fast as the package they buy into. For the Hyperoptic team this is not acceptable. We want to open people's minds to the future beyond broadband and enable them to connect, explore and be satisfied – our technology will not disappoint. From consumers simply wanting to download an HD movie at home to fanatical gamers wanting to experience cloud-based action in 'real time', Hyperoptic is for everyone because where information is expected instantly, the future will be fibre." Boris Ivanovic, (President) Hyperoptic

With launch still somewhat down the line, there is as yet no information on the kind of pricing likely to be available. The example packages shown seem to give customers options of 20meg, 100meg and 1gig speeds and they also promote VoIP and IPTV services, obviously intending this to be a one-stop solution to revolutionise the home entertainment for those lucky enough to get access.