Who are B4RN
B4RN was the first fibre provider to truly address the UK rural digital divide, its network is 95% agricultural land.
In the heart of rural Northern England, B4RN (Broadband for the Rural North) is redefining connectivity for communities traditionally sidelined in the digital landscape.
B4RN’s inventive community-focused model has justly won numerous awards and it’s regularly upheld in the media as an example of what good looks like for gigabit full fibre broadband empowering rural communities.
B4RN functions as an Internet Service Provider in rural Northern England, Cheshire and Norfolk, and all its subscribers enjoy Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) gigabit symmetrical connectivity.
We caught up with Tom Rigg, CEO at B4RN, to better understand how and why they are so successful in an arena that was considered ‘too hard’ by many in the industry.
The early challenge they faced
B4RN’s network is deeply rural and does not enter towns and cities with incumbent exchange infrastructure – therefore backbone network fibre availability was a challenge to solve the launch in 2011.
The lack of existing backbone network infrastructure in rural areas presented a formidable barrier. Unlike urban settings, where incumbent providers dominate, B4RN needed to establish a network that could deliver reliable connectivity in deeply rural locations.
Designing a new network
B4RN’s leadership has many years of experience and designed the core network, which spans many regions, to be extremely high quality from the beginning.
Choosing the right network partners and suppliers was critical, through the management team’s expert knowledge, we knew who to work with so there wasn’t any pain in the beginning or later on.
Why B4RN chose Zayo Europe
Zayo Europe’s network is able to offer truly rural backbone services.
The Zayo Europe network is installed across agricultural lands that meant we could splice into the core backbone, essentially in the remote access chambers in the countryside which is exactly where our customers live and work.
Our founders experience meant we already understood the benefits of working with Zayo Europe and its dark fibre infrastructure available in our region, so we partnered right from the beginning and are still subscribed to the service on the same cable 12 years later!
The first fibre we lit was from a Manchester data centre up to Quernmore and Arkholme in Lancashire.
The benefits of working with Zayo Europe
Highly available, exceptional quality, and low latency services!
And when we have experienced fibre damage, the proactive response from the Zayo Europe NOC has been second to none!
I see us in a long term partnership well into the future, we take up 10 year contracts with Zayo Europe, and have already renewed some of our circuits for another 10 years. Zayo Europe is the first partner we approach for new services.
B4RN’s unique approach and strong partnership with Zayo Europe have enabled delivery of extraordinary benefits to their rural customers:
- Access to Live Events: Thanks to Zayo Europe’s fast transatlantic routes, B4RN’s residential customers gained access to a significant football match that local services were unable to provide.
- Resilience During Extreme Weather: The North of England is known for its challenging weather conditions. When heavy snowfall in Cumbria caused damage to overhead lines from other providers, B4RN’s underground fibre network ensured that customers experienced uninterrupted service.
- Swift Response to Network Issues: In a recent incident in Kendal, a section of the network went down. Zayo’s local engineer was already in the area addressing other issues. His familiarity with the region enabled him to quickly identify that heavy rain had caused a mudslide affecting an underground chamber. He resolved the problem in just 4.5 hours.
Future-proofing with 400G
In 2023, B4RN embarked on an ambitious project to upgrade its core network to 400G, known as Project HALO. This initiative aims to future-proof B4RN’s network through 2030 and create a dark fibre ring connecting Manchester, Newcastle, and Leeds. Zayo Europe continues to be B4RN’s trusted dark fibre provider, and the project was successfully completed in February 2024.