LOCHEILNET ACQUIRED BY NEW LOCAL BUSINESS.

Dear Locheilnet Customer,

LOCHEILNET ACQUIRED BY NEW LOCAL BUSINESS.

Locheilnet was established ten years ago to provide wireless broadband to remote and rural premises in Lochaber and we have certainly achieved that aim. Today, more than 500 homes and businesses in Lochaber enjoy high speed broadband with Locheilnet. Our volunteer Board has enjoyed overseeing the development of Locheilnet and we are grateful to the many supporters who have helped with the company’s growth.

As fibre broadband is being extended in Lochaber our market is changing and, although Locheilnet can offer full fibre to existing and new customers, it was never the aim of the Community Interest Company to trade in the highly competitive fibre broadband market.

Our Board was therefore very pleased to receive a proposal from Comms West, a new company established by a previous Locheilnet Board member to buy Locheilnet’s assets and provide further investment to grow and develop fibre, telephony and wireless services.

Comms West is led by Jim Smith who designed and built Locheilnet’s existing network and Locheilnet’s Technical Manager, Ali Hodnett who many of you will know. The Locheilnet Board is therefore pleased that we are transferring our precious assets to people who are already familiar with them and also personally invested in the area and what we do.

As a valued customer you do not need to take any action. Your Gocardless payment will continue as normal, being paid to Comms West from April. Phone numbers for information and technical issues remain the same.

I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the hard work that the early pioneers of Locheilnet did to get a pilot project for ten houses at Locheil up and running ten years ago and which has grown to the Locheilnet of today. Without them, many of us would still have poor or no broadband. I thank my fellow Board members for all their hard work and support and wish the Board of Comms West all the best for what I am sure will be a successful venture for them and their customers.

Jackie Wright
Chair, Locheilnet CIC