WightFibre
 | |
| Type | Telecommunications |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Availability | Hybrid Fiber Coaxial |
| Founded | 2001 |
Broadcast area | United Kingdom |
Former names | WightCable, Isle of Wight Cable & Telephone Company |
Official website | www.wightfibre.com |
WightFibre is the only provider of commercial and residential cable television services on the Isle of Wight. They also provide telephone and broadband internet services. It is the last remaining cable company in the UK which is not part of Virgin Media which, from March 2006, operated more than 95% of cable services in the UK. The Isle of Wight Cable and Telephone Company (IOWCTC) and Omne Communications were taken over by CLS Holdings in the early years of the 21st century. It ran two mostly separate operations, WightCable on the Isle of Wight (former IOWCTC), and WightCable (North) in south west Scotland and North West England. CLS Holdings sold both of the original two companies to separate private investors who intend to operate them separately. Smallworld Cable was absorbed by Virgin Media in 2014 leaving WightFibre as the sole independent UK cable company.[1]
WightCable Ltd was sold in the last part of 2005, now going under the name Wight Cable 2005 Ltd. New branding was introduced, services upgraded and internet speeds increased.
In 2012, WightCable changed its name to WightFibre, promising increased internet speeds up to 100Mbit/s, and introducing IPTV with high-definition channels and on-demand services. A £500,000 investment saw the launch of 50Mb broadband in July 2012 and 100Mb broadband in September 2013. The company advertised heavily and returned to growth in October 2012. A small scale trial of the company's new IP based TV service was held in Nov & Dec 2012 but technical difficulties have delayed full launch of the service.
In February 2013 WightFibre was acquired by Keith Young, a serial entrepreneur who was also an original investor in Easynet (since purchased by Sky). The management team remained in place and the company's strategy remained unchanged.
WightFibre has partnered with two Isle of Wight-based wireless operators – Click4Internet and Wight Wireless – to extend island coverage with plans to improve that coverage to provide speeds of 50Mb to 80Mb throughout the island.
Logos
Old logo
Former logo until 2012
