LIGHTNING Fibre is without doubt one of the best success stories in East Sussex in recent years.
Massive investment, huge jobs creation and a significant boost to the local economy.
And the good news is that despite the current challenges we all face, it’s going to be getting bigger.
Ben Ferriman is the CEO of Lightning Fibre. He’s 34, lives in Eastbourne and is the father of two young children.
He’s been on a mission to make a long-lasting difference to towns and communities across East Sussex, and he’s thrilled with the progress made.
Ben said: “It has been a difficult time for everyone over the past two years with Covid, the increase in fuel prices, significant supply chain challenges and a shortage in skilled labour.
“Against that backdrop, Lightning Fibre has quadrupled its workforce in the last 12 months. This includes a new Academy to train and develop fibre installers, to meet demand where a local skills shortage exist. In fact, the company is now in the process of doubling its work force to deliver further expansion.
“We have also increased the wider supply chain with sub-contractors coming into the area to undertake the necessary road works. They are renting homes locally and spending money locally, which also helps the economy.”
Ben says Lightning Fibre has smashed its targets across its four key towns – Eastbourne, Hailsham, Heathfield and Hastings.
Ben is passionate about how his business runs; a positive and collaborative culture, and a healthy work/life balance for everyone. Community action is also part of the firm’s DNA.
He said: “I talk to my staff every day, my door is always open, and my mission is to interact with all staff.
“The culture is one of collaboration and supporting each other. This is so important to me.
“Last August, we moved into huge new offices on the Polegate Business Park, and our warehouse resource is set to expand again very shortly.
“Due to the exceptional progress, further investment is being made in the region as we expand our Full Fibre network into new areas. Demand for Lightning Fibre’s service is huge, and we’re working round the clock to meet this demand for faster, more reliable broadband. As more and more people adopt a flexible working pattern, reliable domestic broadband has never been more important.
This growth requires more people, more office space and creates more revenue for our supply chain, which includes lots of local firms – a rising tide lifts many boats, as the saying goes! Our success is creating a positive ripple effect across the region, just as I intended. Lightning Fibre customers can buy from us in the knowledge that in doing so they are supporting their own community and economy, as the cycle of re-investment benefits us all.
The company is putting back by sponsoring local events including Eastbourne Carnival, Wyntercon and The Vintage Festival. The successful Eastbourne Lightning Fibre Ice Rink was visited by over 17,000 people. The firm also supports Children with Cancer, St Wilfrid’s and St Michael’s Hospices.
About Lightning Fibre
Lightning Fibre is a local altnet broadband provider. The company was founded by Ben in 2018. The company started with a pilot scheme in 2019 in Eastbourne secured funding in Oct 2020 and will reach the whole of Eastbourne by early 2023. The East Sussex expansion is well underway.
The network is totally independent and Lightning Fibre owns and controls their network ‘from the world wide web to the modem in your home or business’. The company has thousands of local, happy customers and is rated Excellent on Trustpilot.
The business is a network operator and ISP, meaning that it lays the fibre network and sell it directly to business and residential consumers. The full fibre network can deliver symmetric 10Gbps speeds for all and is fully future proofed. This means that better upload and download speeds and reliability can be guaranteed.