Kings Hill firm Trooli expands ultra-fast broadband service to 50,000 homes across Kent and East Sussex
Published: 09:31, 12 November 2020
Updated: 09:32, 12 November 2020
Ultra-fast broadband provider Trooli has hit a new landmark after 50,000 homes and businesses are now able to access its service.
The Kings Hill-based firm has set out an ambition to provide super-fast internet to rural and remote areas - often overlooked by the major providers.
Its full-fibre network has most recently expanded into Darenth, Hoo, Farningham and Eynsford, as well as Uckfield and Crowborough, just over the East Sussex border.
In less than six months, Trooli has tripled the amount of cabling laid, from 200km in June to 680km at the start of November, while ramping up its build rate to pass more than 5,000 premises a month – up from 3,000 earlier this year – with that figure set to increase this winter.
Staff at the company have also more than doubled this year - up from 57 in January to 116 today.
Andy Conibere, chief executive officer for Trooli, said: “This has been a year of rapid growth and change for Trooli.
“Since January, we have increased our number of homes passed from 10,500 to 50,000, raised an additional £5m in funding from NatWest, laid hundreds of kilometres of cabling and successfully crossed the county boundary to take our network to an under-served market in East Sussex.
"We are confident that demand for ultrafast broadband is only going to increase. It is rightly seen by the government as essential 21st century infrastructure and the experience of lockdown has accelerated demand from both business and private customers.”
Trooli, which was launched in 2018, is backed by €30m (£26.85m) from the Connecting Europe Broadband Fund (CEBF) and a further £5m from NatWest.
It aims to be accessible to 150,000 homes and businesses in the next 18 months, rising to 500,000 in four years.
Head to our business page for all of the latest news about businesses in Kent
More by this author
Chris Britcher