A major recruitment drive is under way in Essex after Colchester-based provider County Broadband announced over 30 new jobs and a commitment to invest in local skills as part of its plan to overhaul the East of England’s digital infrastructure.
County Broadband secured an additional £100 million in private investment from Aviva Investors earlier this year, building on the £46 million achieved in 2018 from the same investment team, to build and deliver new full-fibre broadband infrastructure in rural communities.
The alternative-network (‘alt-net’) provider has plans to extend its network to 500,000 premises across the East of England by 2027.
The company has already overseen huge workforce growth, doubling from around 80 staff at the end of 2019 to approximately 210 currently, and has launched a new online careers hub with around 30 vacancies in functions including network operations, engineering, customer services, IT and finance.
Lewis Simington, chief people officer at County Broadband, said: “There has never been a better time to join County Broadband after our £100 million additional private investment to spearhead our plans to connect half a million rural residents and businesses to future-ready full-fibre broadband.
“Looking after our staff and investing in their skills and careers is one of the biggest reasons why we’ve become a major player in the alt-net national industry and a leading local employer. We are lucky to have incredible teams who are supportive, eager to learn, and dedicated to our mission.
“No two days are the same in our varied and exciting industry, from using cutting-edge technology to help deliver gigabit speeds to local rural communities, to helping our teams reach their potential through innovative online learning platforms and social events.
“We’ve launched our new careers hub and are looking to hear from a range of people, whether you’re thinking about changing your career, or you’re a recent graduate looking for your next step, or you just want to join a caring environment that supports flexible work. We offer a comprehensive training and development package and can’t wait to welcome our next team members.”
County Broadband is delivering fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) infrastructure to over 220 villages in Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire as part of a long-term commitment to digitally future-proof the region and keep up with demands for hybrid work, streaming and online services.
Full-fibre broadband uses FTTP infrastructure where fibre optic cables are installed directly into the premises, providing download and uploads speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps. The FTTP infrastructure is replacing the fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) copper-based Victorian infrastructure on which ‘Superfast’ broadband is based. FTTP broadband can also be upgraded to 10,000+ Mbps in the future.
County Broadband, founded in 2003, specialises in connecting rural communities that might only have access to Superfast technology that the government has said will need to be upgraded to gigabit-capable alternatives to cope with future connectivity demands.
Edward Ring, training manager at County Broadband, added: “We have a diverse range of vacancies, both current and planned, so if you’re local to the area, or even if you want to work remote, this is a fantastic time to join a growing company that promises to invest in your career development and skills within a caring, ambitious and fun environment.”
Meanwhile, a new report published by Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA) and Point Topic found the alt-net sector has doubled in size for the second consecutive year. Alt-nets covered 5.5 million premises with FTTP networks in 2021/22 – representing a 111% annual rise.
To see the full list of vacancies, visit careers.countybroadband.co.uk/jobs
