GigaBritain’s rapid rate of growth is attributable to a market impact-driven strategy centred on partner enablement, collaboration and raising the service level bar, says Head of Wholesale and Partners Will Goodall.
GigaBritain is the wholesale brand of Telcom Group and was launched in July 2023 to extend the benefits of Telcom’s fibre and wireless networks in key cities to the channel. Notably, Telcom’s acquisition of Luminet created one of the largest fixed and wireless network providers in the UK, and its business leaders have a clear understanding of their overarching purpose, the influence the company can wield in the market and the positive impacts it can make in the channel and beyond through sheer scale and visionary strategy, according to Goodall.
“We can offer channel partners access to 10Gbps connectivity across London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and soon Cardiff using fibre and wireless dedicated Internet,” commented Goodall. “For nationwide coverage we’ve forged strategic relationships with national carriers.”
Since launch GigaBritain has built a 200-plus partner community which continues to expand. The channel contributes significantly to group revenues which have now surpassed £20 million per annum. “The growth plan for GigaBritain is to double revenue over the next 12 months,” commented Goodall. “The group has grown to over 200 staff which includes in-house civil, infrastructure and network engineers.”
Positive actions
Goodall attributes this growth to taking positive action on feedback from partners. Ongoing investment in GigaBritain’s partner portal, marketing support and internal systems is also paying dividends. “The fundamental core to everything we do is based on partner feedback,” said Goodall. “We are always talking to partners to understand the potential products they would like to see and how they can be supported. For example, I am interested in security and leveraging our in-house engineering resource to support partners in providing a comprehensive solution. Feedback tells us that this will greatly reduce the impact of managing multiple suppliers for partners and drive significant value by enabling them to win more business.”
Collaboration is key to success in this dynamic sector and we are building a like-minded community that is always looking to deliver for clients
GigaBritain brings together industry knowledge and experience with exacting standards, and according to Goodall this combination creates value for all stakeholders in an environment where demand is growing for connectivity that can be delivered quickly with high SLAs. In this context, Goodall highlighted three key areas of growth, including notable partner successes within its 300-plus Telcom Preconnect buildings where it has built its own infrastructure. This enables partners to provide connectivity to tenants within five working days.
He also expects to see ongoing demand from key economic cities as investment increases and populations continue to grow, driving more requirements. Managed services are also ripe for expansion, providing more than just connectivity and opening the door to areas of the market that partners may not have previously been able to serve. “While as a wholesale provider we have partners working in many verticals we are especially focused on large multi-business units where we can deploy our Preconnect product,” added Goodall.
Service elevation
As we have seen, GigaBritain places a high value on how it positively impacts the channel and wider connectivity landscape, and aims to create a service model that is fit for purpose. “We have an opportunity to overturn end user assumptions about needing to accept poor service levels from the industry,” commented Goodall. “Speaking to customers and partners there is a general consensus that in most cases it’s expected that updates will not happen, delays are inevitable and there is no accountability from the supplier. Our biggest opportunity is to push against this, focus on excellence and capitalise on the current partner experience by delivering a service that is grounded in support and business growth.”
GigaBritain’s positive impact approach prioritises collaboration and to build on the potential of its owned fibre network it has forged relationships with key third party providers to deliver a resilient end-to-end network for partners, irrespective of the last mile provider, ensuring consistency and reliability.
“Collaboration is key to success in this dynamic sector and we are building a like-minded community that is always looking to deliver for clients,” commented Goodall. “The market is constantly changing and despite market consolidation there will remain a growing need for all businesses, even competitors, to be open to collaborate together. The more we can do that in the channel the more benefit we can offer partners who in turn can support British businesses.”
GigaBritain has also integrated broader impacts into its strategy, aiming to drive down damaging market trends and drive up the UK’s global digital ranking. “There appears to be movement in the market towards connections at any cost, regardless of the benefit to the connectivity provider which leads to longer lead times and a disjointed partner experience,” said Goodall.
“We are aiming to take real ownership in the market through providing a reliable, fast quality service that is beneficial for everyone. This ties into our wider business goal to revolutionise the overall experience and increase service levels within the industry, helping to address the fact that Britain currently ranks 34th in global Internet speed and 18th in Europe.”
Against the backdrop of a fast evolving comms landscape Goodall has a clear view of the short and long-term impacts he hopes GigaBritain will catalyse, ultimately transforming the business connectivity market in the channel. “In wholesale connectivity we need to remove the race to the bottom, drive industry standards and accountability, and make it a lot more accessible for all,” he said.
Just a minute with Will Goodall...
Role model:
My dad. His work ethic inspires me to provide a great future for my family.
What talent do you wish you had?
To be a professional footballer.
Best advice you have been given:
All you can do is your best, no more, no less.
Your main strength and what could you work on?
My strengths are relationship building and random thinking – I try not to follow the crowd. But I need to work on imposter syndrome. I often have to steel myself in certain environments to drive me out of my comfort zone and feel equal with industry leaders.
One thing you couldn’t do without in your job:
A sense of humour.
Three ideal dinner guests:
Tupac Shakur, I loved his music growing up and became interested in his views on equality expressed through poetry and eloquent arguments; Winston Churchill for insights into his ability to drive a nation in times of huge difficulty; and Andy Booth, a key player for my beloved Huddersfield Town FC.
One example of something you’ve overcome:
In 2021 I had emergency surgery due to a ruptured bowel and sepsis and was hours away from passing away. Coming back from that and pushing forwards has given me a resilience that I do not believe can be broken.
The biggest risk you have taken:
Establishing GigaBritain with Telcom from a standing start. I believe there is a better way of working in the channel with a greater focus on relationships and accountability and I’m determined to prove just that.
Top tip:
Focus on your key strengths as a business and lean into your supplier base.