Hybrid wireless and fibre internet service provider Airband expands bespoke FTTP solution into current deployments and appoints two new board members.
Airband, a leading wireless and fibre internet service provider for rural and isolated areas in England and Wales, announces the appointment of two new directors to its board as well as more than 20 new hires across the business. The firm also announces plans to integrate its bespoke FTTP solution into its current network deployments.
The announcement follows Airband’s £16m investment from the Amber Infrastructure-managed National Digital Infrastructure Fund (“NDIF”) to help connect more rural homes and businesses with high-speed broadband.
Peter Mathers joins Airband as Operations Director and brings over 30 years of leadership experience in the telecoms and technology sectors. He has worked in the UK and across the EMEA region in a variety of roles including leading start-up operations, business transformation and running complex federated operations.
In recognition of his work in setting up a new national telecoms operation in Poland he was awarded a European Union Order of Merit for services to telecommunications and public internet services. Latterly Peter was the EMEA region’s IT director for Tyco International, the US-based leading pure play Fire and Security organisation, where he led the transformation and operation of IT and telecommunications across the 14 business operations in the region.
With full responsibility for business operations and procedures, Peter will play a key role in establishing Airband’s place as the UK’s leading hybrid wireless and fibre broadband provider as well as building on the firm’s outstanding reputation for community-focussed rural broadband.
Finance Director Andrew Price joined Airband at the beginning of November, following a career at senior management level in blue chip private equity-backed businesses in UK and abroad, across a diverse range of industry sectors including oil and gas and manufacturing.
Andrew will be leading the firm’s finance and procurement teams, developing corporate vision, strategy and embedding robust corporate governance throughout the business.
Airband founder and Managing Director Redmond Peel, said:
“Peter and Andrew’s track records, experience and achievements are second-to-none and we are delighted to have them both on board. Attracting individuals of their calibre into the business is a great testament to our strategy and ambition.
“We are pleased to be growing so rapidly and able to provide superfast connectivity to more rural homes and businesses in the UK and our aim is to continue to roll out our solutions to boost connectivity in rural communities.
“The Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review (FTIR) announced in July as part of the UK government’s modern industrial strategy, outlines that remote rural areas need to be prioritised for funding. It also recognises that a blend of technologies is required to deliver superfast access – we see our hybrid wireless and fibre model as being ideally suited for these areas so it’s an exciting time for us to be at the forefront of ensuring that rural locations get the digital infrastructure they needed and do not get left behind.”
Peter Mathers added:
"Airband has a deserved reputation as the rural broadband specialist in many areas of the UK. We have a tremendous opportunity to grow further and establish our reputation as the UK’s leading hybrid wireless and fibre internet service provider, whilst still keeping our friendly ethos, transparent pricing and genuine commitment to the community.”
Andrew Price commented:
“It’s exciting to join a company that has both the vision and the capacity to transform connectivity for remote rural areas that have been stymied by slow broadband speeds. Airband is providing superfast and ultrafast connectivity in these areas, with a combination of fibre and wireless assets, which will be a game-changer for rural businesses.”
The new appointments follow the launch earlier this year of RuralOptic, Airband’s bespoke fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) solution for rural areas. Successful trials in Shropshire have demonstrated the huge benefits of this new technology, which delivers point-to-point fibre using existing infrastructure, avoiding the time delay and costs involved in digging up roads.
Redmond Peel added:
“We plan to integrate our FTTP RuralOptic solution in a number of our current network deployments, with an ambition to utilise 50 per cent FTTP and 50 per cent wireless technology. We believe our hybrid model offers a compelling time to market, clear upgrade path and broader reach compared to traditional fibre-only or wireless-only solutions.”