Grayshott Gigabit Wins Best OTT (Over The Top) Service at National UK Fibre Awards 2024

Following the success of the 2023 event, which saw more than 500 fibre & telecom leading professionals in attendance, the UK Fibre Awards came back in 2024 for its third edition and took place at the London Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel last week. The aim was to acknowledge a broader spectrum of accomplishments from the UK's thriving fibre, alternative network providers, and carrier telecom sectors, highlighting excellence in technology, projects, individuals, organizations, sustainability, culture, and community initiatives.

Home - UK Fibre Awards

Grayshott Gigabit won the National Award for Best Over The Top (OTT) Service with our Gigabit IQ Managed Wi-Fi Service , and was also runner up & Highly Commended in the Best Community Support Project category for our community initiatives and our free community Wi-Fi programme across Grayshott.

Securing the Best OTT Service Award represents a significant milestone for us, particularly following the launch of our OTT service in 2023, alongside the new Gigabit IQ managed Wi-Fi service. Within the competitive internet service sector, we contend with numerous larger and national providers who often leave Wi-Fi issues for customers to resolve, leading to dissatisfaction. Many of these providers lack the technology, the latest Wi-Fi routers, or a proprietary app to enhance Wi-Fi capabilities, thus they provide only fundamental internet services without the ability to monitor or manage Wi-Fi experiences. Our Gigabit IQ service is designed to transform the industry by delivering premier managed Wi-Fi services to both residential and commercial clients, encompassing four key features:

1.     A Fully Managed Wi-Fi Service, providing comprehensive support from design and installation to ongoing remote and on-site support. A cloud application actively monitors and manages customer connectivity, aiming to streamline troubleshooting, reduce operational costs, and improve overall service efficiency.

2.     ExperienceIQ offers a safer online environment for residential users with robust content filtering and advanced parental controls. It includes blocking capabilities for social media, VPNs, proxy sites, and unsafe search results on platforms like YouTube and Google, tailored by age, device, and user profile.

3.     ProtectIQ delivers network-level security, continuously protecting against viruses, ransomware, and other online threats. This feature integrates with the GigabitIQ app, utilising a vast cloud database to enhance cybersecurity measures effectively.

4.     The GigabitIQ Mobile App allows customers to actively manage their network settings. User-friendly and intuitive, it lets users conduct bandwidth tests, manage device connectivity, set internet access parameters, and integrate additional network-enhancing devices. The app is regularly updated to include new features for an optimised user experience.

Key features of the GigabitIQ App offering unique solutions include:

• Age-Appropriate Content Filters: Unlike many ISPs, our GigabitIQ service allows parents to tailor content filters by age and device, ensuring children access only suitable content.

• Blocking Social Media: Parents can block social media platforms, with specific guidance on apps like Roblox, Twitch, Discord to enhance safety and awareness of content risks.

• VPN Blocking: To prevent children from circumventing controls, GigabitIQ app can block VPNs, giving parents greater peace of mind.

• Pausing Internet Access: GigabitIQ app enables users to temporarily pause internet on specific devices, useful during family or study times, offering a more intuitive and flexible approach compared to traditional time-based controls.

We continually evolve our service offerings and embrace new technologies to provide the best in Wi-Fi technology, enhance our services and support capabilities, and ensure that our residents and businesses have access to top-tier security features to protect their devices and enable safer internet access controls.

We advocate for the inclusion of these features in all internet service provider packages to improve the safety of vulnerable individuals and children online, in line with the Online Safety Bill adopted by the government. Our lobbying efforts with Ofcom aim to compel internet service providers to implement enhanced access controls, ensuring children have sufficient filters to block exposure to inappropriate online content.

We thank the residents & businesses in Grayshott, Hindhead & Churt for the continued support, and their custom & feedback, and are really proud of our success & awards.