B4RN brings fiber Internet to North England farms and homes

“B4RN is Internet without compromise,” says Michael Lee, CEO of B4RN. “We reach 100% of properties in a community, no matter how remote.”

B4RN services rural areas in the north of England across Lancashire, Cumbria, North Yorkshire and into Northumberland. It is now creating a resilient ring network in the North of England to support all existing and future communities with the expansion timed around the refresh of its aging backbone network equipment.

The upgrade will see B4RN’s backhaul speeds increase tenfold to 400 Gbps around the entire ring, allowing the distribution of the network deep into rural communities at 100-Gbps aggregation speeds. The design brings full fiber into every home from the cabinet, providing “belt and braces” for future growth and adoption of new technology. With the upgrade, B4RN can secure the long-term operation of the core network, allowing new communities to connect, and gain additional benefits, such as offering backhaul services to the industry.

B4RN is a different kind of ISP: It works with local communities to design, plan, and install the full-fiber access networks that deliver low-cost or free gigabit-speed Internet services. Community contributions are integral, with individual community investors and many volunteers helping B4RN as it plans the fiber routes across agricultural lands, digs trenches for the fiber conduits, and sets up Internet kits at customer sites.

B4RN connects more than 13,000 customers in rural homes, small villages, farms, and dispersed settlements. More than 220 community organizations, including village halls, places of worship, and 44 primary schools, have free Internet. People living in the countryside can enjoy the Internet with the same or better speeds as city dwellers.

Every customer has at least a 1-Gbps symmetrical Internet connection, so people can easily stream their favorite entertainment, play games, work from home, and stay connected with friends and family. Children who lacked fast Internet for remote learning during the pandemic now can easily do their schoolwork at home. Dairy farmers can automate milking or use digital tags to keep track of their herds.

Additionally, B4RN’s fiber network is 100% underground with no pole infrastructure, which provides the next level of service resilience in a region with lots of windy and wet weather. This design decision sets B4RN’s network apart from other providers in the area.

B4RN’s network spans 2,300-square kilometers, an area bigger than London. With a scalable network that extends from Manchester to Leeds, and next from Leeds to Newcastle, B4RN provides an exceptional customer experience as it provides rural communities with equal access to digital services.