If you looked up to the sky last night [Wednesday 5th March] and saw lights speeding through the air, it was to mark a moment in history that revolutionised the way we live today.
Domestic Broadband launched in the UK, 25 years ago in 2000.While Asymmetric Digital Subscriber line (ADSL) and dial up launched in the 90s*, it was when Broadband became available to homeowners in 2000, that things really began to change.
LightSpeed, the leading ultrafast broadband provider, was behind the done show which was set against the stunning backdrop of Tamworth Castle, a historical landmark built in 1070. The sight of a cutting-edge drone show, to mark a quarter-century of progress in the digital world, coupled with the timeless presence of the castle grounds, made for a perfect juxtaposition of modern technology and centuries old history.
Brett Shepherd, CEO of LightSpeed, reflected on the significance of the occasion: “When Broadband launched to consumers, it was life changing that we could now simultaneously use the internet and make phone calls through a single line. Looking at the last 25 years, it is incredible how far we’ve come. Broadband has transformed every aspect of our lives, forever changing how we live, work, connect, play and relax. This is just the beginning – broadband continues to evolve and shape the future in ways we never thought possible.
“Hosting the drone show is a fitting tribute to mark a quarter-century of progress in the digital world, all while paying homage to a landmark that has stood the test of time. It also
marks us being the first altnet company (alternative network to larger providers) to bring full fibre broadband to homes and businesses in Tamworth.”
Broadband has revolutionised how we interact in the world. From the days of dial-up, to today’s always-on internet that keep us connected while we work from home, stream our favourite TV shows, game on the go, or manage our smart homes, broadband has reshaped our lives. Multiple devices can now be connected to the internet simultaneously, allowing for seamless streaming, gaming, and even controlling home security and charging electric cars.
Brett reflected on the future of broadband: “Broadband is an essential utility, on par with water, gas, and electricity. In today’s world we simply cannot live without it. With the planned retirement of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) copper network set to be fully switched off by the 31st January 2027, it’s vital that homes and businesses are future proofed.
“LightSpeed is excited about the future – with faster full fibre speeds and greater bandwidth requirements on the horizon, we’re opening up endless possibilities for smarter homes, increased productivity, and more immersive digital experiences.”
Award-winning LightSpeed is bringing its full fibre broadband up to 36,000 homes and businesses in Tamworth and other parts of the UK. With lightning-fast speed of up to 2 Gigabits per second, LightSpeed is spearheading the gigabit revolution ensuring towns that have been left behind for far too long, are being offered the best services around, as well as paving the way for the smart homes of the future.
For further information about LightSpeed’s broadband offerings and the 25th anniversary of the launch of Domestic broadband, visit https://www.lightspeed.co.uk/theevolutionofbroadband
About LightSpeed
LightSpeed is an independent, full fibre broadband network that offers industry-leading speeds of up to 2,000 Mbps. As the East and West Midlands’ leading and most trusted broadband provider, it’s bringing the power of Gigabit to parts of the UK that other providers have overlooked, with plans to connect 150,000 new premises in these regions and a target of 400,000 total homes & businesses by 2027.
Backed by investment partner Kompass Kapital, the brand is focused on building a portfolio of value-added services powered by its ultra-fast broadband, designed to enhance customers’ in-home experiences, from security to smart home technologies.
25 Historical Milestones in Broadband and Connectivity
- 1980s Commercial internet launched with companies creating their own websites
- March 2000 – Broadband became available to homeowners in the UK, which meant allowing simultaneous internet use and phone calls on a single line
- 2000 – Initial broadband speeds launched at 512kbps; by 2025, speeds like 2GB and above are available with LightSpeed and other providers
- 2001 – Like most new technologies, Broadband was extremely expensive and not available everywhere when it first launched. So initial usage was low, at just 9% of the UK by 2001
- 2002 – The UK had high mobile internet penetration, surpassing the US, Germany, and South Korea. By 2022, over 63.2 million mobile internet users in the UK, around 93% of the population
- 2007 – While Netflix launched in 1997, it didn’t begin streaming until 2007. It is now the most subscribed video on demand streaming media service and now boasts 301.6 million paid memberships in more than 190 countries (2025)
- 2007 – Apple Launched the first iPhone. Android released the HTC Dream phone in 2008
- 2007 – Google introduced Street View, using its patented dodecahedral camera array on a moving car
- 2008 -Tesla released its first electric car, the Roadster, which includes cellular data and Wi-Fi
- 2008 – Fibre-optic broadband emerged, offering faster speeds than traditional copper connections
- 2008 – Spotify launched, initially on desktop and later on mobile, revolutionising music streaming. Led Zeppelin, which has strong links to the Midlands most streamed song is Stairway to Heaven (remaster) and has 1,083,738,113 streams. Full fibre has ensured high quality audio and ultra-fast downloads
- 2009 – NASA’s journey into social media marked a significant milestone when astronaut Mike Massamino sent the first tweet from space
- 2009 – Data showed that 18.31 million UK households had access to the Internet, equivalent to 70% of all households. This represented an increase of 1.85 million households (14%) from 2008 and of 4.05 million households (28%) from 2006
- 2009 – Rage Against the Machine, the Californian rap-metal band were crowned the UK’s Xmas #1 after a Facebook campaign, protesting the monopoly of X-Factor on the chart. Their track Killing in the Name sold 500,000 digital copies to beat X-Factor Joe McElderry off the top spot
- May 2012 – Spotify introduced the UK’s first official streaming chart. The first number 1 was “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen. Becky Hill from Bewdley, was the third most streamed British female solo artist on Spotify in 2021
- Spring 2013 -Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” became the first song to hit 1 million streams in a week
- 2014 – Facebook bought Oculus Virtual-Reality Company for $2 Billion. Oculus makes the Oculus Rift, a virtual-reality headset originally funded on Kickstarter
- 2015 – Broadband was officially recognised as a utility in the UK, placing it alongside water, gas and electricity
- 2019 – Forbes described this as The Year Virtual Reality Gets Real. Oculus Quest, Facebook’s standalone headset, created a lot of interest and momentum, selling out in many locations and generating $5 million worth of content sales
- Dec 2019 – 2020 – The Covid-19 pandemic caused a surge in remote work and home schooling, putting pressure on home broadband networks. In April 2020, nearly half (46.6%) of people in employment did some of their work from home, with the vast majority (86.0%) of these homeworkers stating that this was because of the Coronavirus pandemic. The West Midlands region was reportedly the worst hit region in the UK in the first wave. Almost 90% of businesses did agree that there would be a permanent uplift in home working levels in the West Midlands
- Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/feb/01/west-midlands-uk-covid-19-regions-ons-scotland
- Source: https://midlandsengineobservatory.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Midlands-Engine-Covid-Impact-Monitor-Edition-9-Skills-deep-dive.pdf
- Source: https://www.escoe.ac.uk/the-effect-of-covid-19-on-the-west-midlands-economy/
- 2021 – LightSpeed launched in the East of England. The business now covers more than 250,000 homes and businesses across the East of England and the West Midlands, with plans to expand to more than 400,000 by 2027
- 2023 – A record 20.7 million UK homes can now access full-fibre broadband, according to Ofcom’s latest annual report on the nation’s broadband and mobile networks. Ofcom’s Connected Nations report finds that 69% (20.7 million) of UK homes now have access to full-fibre broadband, up from 57% (17.1 million) in September 2023
- As of June 2024, approximately 47 percent of gaming audiences in the United Kingdom (UK) were female, with the other 53 percent being male. In 2022, there were approximately 39.9 million gamers in the United Kingdom.
- 2024 – 5.52 billion people globally use the internet, with 67.5% of the world’s population connected. India leads with 1.24 billion users, followed by China at 1.13 billion. The U.S. is projected to reach 327.18 million users by 2025
- 2025 – 63.9% of the world’s population uses social media. The average daily usage is 2 hours and 21 minutes (February 2025)