Industry News
16th July 2024
Today marks a significant milestone for Grain as we celebrate our 8th birthday!
It’s a big day that offers an opportunity to reflect on our amazing journey and growth so far. Over the past eight years, Grain has grown into a leader in the UK wide roll-out of Full Fibre broadband.
With more than 220,000 existing homes, and over 150 new build developments connected to the Grain network across the UK, we’ve come a long way since our first new build trial project! Here is a look back at that journey…
2013 – Solway Communications trial bringing a Full Fibre service to Story Homes’ new build development Crindledyke, in Carlisle.
2016 – After the success of Crindledyke, Grain was born as a joint venture between Solway Communications and Pinnacle Group. We established our headquarters in Carlisle and began planning the future of our business.
2017 – Countesswells in Aberdeen became the first new build development to go live on the Grain network.
2019 – We gained significant investment of £10 million from Albion Capital.
2020 – Grain shifted focus from only connecting new build developments, to also bringing Full Fibre to towns and cities across the UK. The first of these was a trial on home ground, in Carlisle.
2021 – After a successful trial we decided to expand to a wider urban build programme covering 14 areas in the North of England.
2021 – In support of this shift in focus, we received a £75 million capital investment from Equitix.
2021 – We moved to our new head office, to better accommodate our growing workforce.
2022 – We reached a milestone 100 new build developments connected to the Grain network.
2022 – In February 2022, our 100th employee joined our rapidly growing team.
2022 – We agreed a new deal with Nord Bank with an initial facility of £40m, allowing us to further progress our roll out.
2023 – We launched a new and updated website, giving customers even more information about the benefits of our Full Fibre service.
2024 – We connected our 30,000th customer and set a company record when we signed up, installed, and connected a new customer to our network in Middlesbrough in only 36 minutes!
Grain has a continuing mission to transform digital connectivity in the UK. We started with a simple yet profound belief that everyone deserves fast, reliable, and affordable internet access.
We stand by those principles and have pledged never to increase our prices mid-contract. We have also pledged never to use a telegraph pole on our network, a fact that has been welcomed by communities who feel their streets are blighted by unwanted poles.
In the beginning we focused on providing broadband to new build homes across the country. Eight years later we have grown to become a force, providing fibre broadband to homes and businesses in over 50 towns and cities across the UK.
Why Grain Full Fibre Broadband?
At the heart of Grain’s success is our unwavering commitment to our core values. Here’s why Grain stands out in the crowded digital connectivity space:
1. Heart
Broadband is the heart of the home, and our people are the heart of our business. We pride ourselves on our service. We treat both our employees and our customers in a way we’d like to be treated ourselves.
2. Customer
We know the importance of broadband to our customers. We will always put them at the centre of everything we do, treating them with transparency and fairness.
3. Together
We value the ideas of others and work together to produce the best results.
4. Agile
We move fast, always being better than we were last week.
5. Impact
We will deliver everything we do efficiently, so that we can be proud to provide Full Fibre broadband that everyone can afford.
Looking Ahead
As we celebrate this special milestone, we are more excited than ever about the future. Our focus will continue to be on price, innovation and customer satisfaction. We are committed to expanding our services and making a positive impact.
To all our customers, partners, and team members, thank you for being a part of this incredible journey. Your support, trust, and dedication has been instrumental in our success. Here’s to many more years of growth, innovation, and connectivity!