Wales’ fastest growing broadband company has announced the start of work to bring full fibre networks to over 150,000 homes in south Wales – and a major rebrand to ‘Ogi’ to mark its future commitment to Wales, and role in bringing people together digitally.
Spades go into the ground in Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire, Abergavenny in Monmouthshire and St Athan and Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan. This is the first phase in their mission to bring real full fibre broadband for better experiences, for better opportunities, and for better lives.
Today’s news marks the beginning of a vital infrastructure build for Wales, and the company’s most significant milestone since they secured cornerstone investment from Infracapital – one of Europe’s leading infrastructure investors – back in the autumn. That’s unleashed a £200m plan to transform the Welsh broadband market and experience – one that’s long overdue.
Many Welsh communities are simply not getting the broadband they deserve, so that’s where the transformation begins. Gigabit-capable services deliver limitless digital opportunities for work, learning, leisure, and wellbeing. Full fibre broadband is much faster, more reliable and way more sustainable than traditional services. Ogi will specifically target underserved areas, accelerating the pace of full fibre roll out across south Wales – and transforming the digital landscape for generations to come.
And this is just the first phase: the innovative technology company has bigger ambitions still – to unlock the online advantage for the whole of south Wales.
“It’s great to see this build get underway and for Ogi to start on their journey across south Wales” said Lee Waters MS, Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Welsh Government. “The scheme will contribute to our ability to deliver our ambitious Digital Strategy for Wales, and will help support Wales' post-Covid recovery.”
The company’s new brand name, Ogi, has been chosen to reflect the company’s Welsh roots and ambition to be part of the grass roots movement of communities and businesses actively building back better.
“We wanted to celebrate our Welsh focus with a positive and engaging brand,” said Ben Allwright, CEO of Ogi. “In Wales when someone shouts ‘Ogi!’ it’s impossible not to smile – or respond. That’s why we chose Ogi as our name: it’s about connecting people to one another, which is exactly what we do, digitally.”
Their connection to the communities they serve is just as important as the technology they’re investing in. They’re creating more than 140 jobs within the company now, in Wales, with services designed and supported locally – and a vision to double that number in the next few years.
Ogi’s offering is ultrafast and ultra-reliable, with products starting at 150mbps for home coverage and everyone getting the opportunity to sign-up for 900mbps speeds. That’s more than 20 times the Welsh average – and up to 200 times faster in some communities! The aim is to power up the lives of thousands of customers; local businesses – and the Welsh economy.
