Designing for impact: How product innovation is enabling scalable, intelligent infrastructure


Posted by Harry Baldock, Contributed Article: By Pete England, Product Director, ITS

For decades, the business connectivity market has been defined by compromise. Organisations were forced to choose between two technologies: copper, cheap but unreliable, or leased lines, reliable but unaffordable for most businesses.

Neither option truly reflected what businesses needed. Copper couldn’t deliver consistency. Leased lines often meant overpaying for bandwidth that was only essential during peak usage. Connectivity was a limiting factor, not an enabler.

Today, that dynamic is changing. As the UK fibre rollout shifts into a “fibre utility” phase, the opportunity lies not just in building networks, but in designing products that match the way businesses and public services now operate.

A market transformed by digital society

Every aspect of modern work is underpinned by reliable connectivity. From cloud-based CCTV and IP-enabled cameras, to collaboration platforms like Teams and SharePoint, to guest Wi-Fi and cashless point-of-sale terminals – connectivity is no longer a utility, but the foundation of digital society.

This creates new demands:Scalability, to grow as application use increases.
Reliability, because downtime is no longer an option.
Security, as every connection point becomes a potential risk.

Traditional products can’t keep pace. Many businesses find themselves paying for capacity they only need at peak times, or trying to stretch inadequate services across mission-critical applications. As digital convergence accelerates, those compromises are no longer acceptable.

That’s why product innovation has to move faster than traditional providers can adapt. At ITS, we’ve made it our mission to design services that evolve with applications, not against them.

Smarter by design

Connectivity should not be a hard-coded, one-size-fits-all commodity. It should be agile, consumable, and customisable.

Our modular product framework gives partners and customers the ability to:Shape solutions for specific needs, sectors, and use cases.
Flex bandwidth, service levels, and commercial models.
Integrate seamlessly with partner platforms for quoting, ordering, and lifecycle management.

This approach removes the perennial issue of overselling. Instead of locking customers into a leased line at 1Gbps when they only need 100Mbps, our products can be tuned and scaled remotely. No truck roll, no wasted spend – just a right-sized service that can grow as demand grows.

We’ve also invested heavily in rapid provisioning through our partner portal. By cutting fibre lead times and enabling full integration with partner systems, we’re giving resellers the tools to compete harder in a market where speed of delivery is a true differentiator.

This isn’t just infrastructure. It’s infrastructure designed for outcomes.

Closing the gaps: A three-tiered portfolio

Our product ladder has been deliberately shaped to address every segment of the business market, without forcing compromise.FibreOne – A reliable entry-level FTTP business broadband service. Perfect for organisations with basic connectivity needs, such as payment terminals or internet radio. It runs at consistent speeds and provides a clear upgrade path when requirements grow.
FibreLight – The missing middle ground. Businesses that outgrow FTTP shouldn’t be forced into costly leased lines. FibreLight fills this gap, offering scalability, reliability, and performance at a price point that makes sense. It’s a commercial innovation that allows customers to unlock cloud-based applications without overspending. In many ways it’s the “EFM killer” – removing the awkward choice between too little and too much by creating a product that truly sits between.
FibreBright – For those who demand absolute certainty. FibreBright is our premium leased line service, delivering dedicated, uncontended performance around the clock. It supports customers that require mission-critical resilience, with clear paths to higher speeds and optical services.

What makes this portfolio powerful is not just the breadth of choice, but the designed-in upgrade paths. Businesses can start small, grow, and adapt without having to rip and replace, often as the competition needs to. Partners, meanwhile, can approach their customers with a suite of options that are both commercially compelling and technically future-proof.

Looking ahead: From connectivity to smart infrastructure

The next phase of our innovation journey is about making connectivity smarter, not just faster. That means embedding intelligence, security, and automation into the core of our services. It means designing for compliance and ESG goals, not as bolt-ons but as part of the network’s DNA.

It also means recognising that, in a market where competitors still build siloed services, ITS has done something different. We’ve created a singular, software-configurable network that delivers economies of scale and allows for modularity at the service-spec level. In practice, this means:Care packages and service levels can be added like software modules.
Speeds can be flexed remotely, without a site visit.
Capacity can be reused rather than wasted.

This is the connective tissue that enables partners and end customers to consume connectivity more like a cloud service: buy what you want, when you want it, and flex it as your needs change.

Redefining the market

Connectivity isn’t “done.” The market doesn’t need more commodity bandwidth layered with bolt-on services. It needs connectivity that is inherently better: faster, smarter, more flexible, and ultimately more affordable.

By understanding the traditional pain points and addressing them with flexible, modular design, ITS is creating a portfolio that sets a new benchmark. It’s not about competing with incumbents on their terms. It’s about redefining the terms altogether – closing market gaps, making connectivity more equitable, and creating infrastructure that’s ready for the next decade of digital society.