Residents on a new-build estate who have been stuck with a “nightmare” internet provider are still worried after the housing developer announced the sale of its broadband service.

Those living in Mascalls Grange Estate, Paddock Wood, shared their initial frustrations with KentOnline reporter Elli Hodgson in January.

Made up of around 375 new-build homes by developer Persimmon, the area has its own broadband network that only provider FibreNest could access.

The move effectively created a localised monopoly, locking out telecoms company Openreach from the estate and preventing residents from accessing their network and the hundreds of competitive service providers that come with it.

Sophie Kemp has lived in Dumbrell Drive since 2020 and pays £47 a month with FibreNest.

She previously told KentOnline: “People are losing out on day’s wages; people are not able to make calls or be in contact with family members or friends, and when we make communication with FibreNest, we’re not getting any response back or any updates that we’re happy with.”

On January 7, one parent got in contact to say her internet had been down for more than 24 hours.

A spokesperson for FibreNest apologised at the time for the disruption, adding that “good quality connection is our highest priority” and it invited other providers to offer its services.

Resident Lois Gray described the situation as a “nightmare” and complained to local MP Mike Martin (Lib Dem) and the Communications Ombudsman.

She said: “From the start, it became clear FibreNest’s monopoly on the estate was more of a burden than a convenience.

“We don’t have a choice. If we want internet, it has to be through FibreNest. One of the biggest issues is the frequent outages.”

Since KentOnline’s article, 14 MPs with affected constituents across England and Wales wrote a letter to Openreach urging it to take legal action.

The company told Mr Martin that without changes to the Access to Infrastructure (ATI) regulations, they would be unable to look into FibreNest's framework.

However, it stated that there is legislation in place that orders the installation of “gigabit-ready” infrastructure during the construction of new homes.

Last Tuesday (May 13), the Tunbridge Wells MP met with telecoms minister, Sir Chris Bryant, to discuss FibreNest's localised monopoly.

Following the meeting, it’s understood that the Competition and Markets Authority will be told to launch an investigation into the internet provider's quality of service.

But last Wednesday, Persimmon announced the sell-off of FibreNest to BUUK Infrastructure for £100 million.

Should the sale be approved, residents will now be connected to BUUK’s network, which is used by 18 internet service providers.

Mr Martin said: “After years of residents in Paddock Wood being forced to put up with debilitatingly poor broadband connectivity, I’m hopeful this announcement will mark the end of their gruelling ordeal.

“It seems Persimmon has escaped scrutiny today, but let this be a lesson to all housing developers not to undercut residents when it comes to crucial infrastructure.”

Despite the seemingly good news, some homeowners are still worried. Lois believes residents will be a "little less closed off" than they are currently.

“We still only get a selection of the providers they choose; it's still essentially going to be a closed line," she added.

“Openreach still is not allowed to set up shop and it also means FibreNest is not being held accountable.”

Residents are worried the new providers will be no better than the last.

Lois added: “What we all would have liked to have seen is Persimmon to open up to Openreach, or in other words, we actually get a choice in who we decide to go with, not just a small selection of their partners.

“I'd have also liked to have seen Persimmon and FibreNest take accountability instead of selling up to avoid this.

“Their timing in itself is evidence that they were just avoiding the backlash of their actions.

“I am very grateful to all who have helped thus far, including Elli and Mike, with whom I have liaised with and they have worked very hard to let our story be known and taking action to help.”

Persimmon declined to comment on the sell-off. BBUK did not respond to KentOnline’s request for a comment.