Steventon-Barnes was the co-founder of Lightspeed Broadband and served as its chief technology officer for two years between September 2020 and August 2022.
Steventon-Barnes has extensive experience in building FTTP networks, including the UK’s first FTTP scale project which delivered full fibre to more than 100,000 homes and businesses in Cornwall, the world’s first 10Gbps broadband service and the first subsea fibre cable to the Isles of Scilly.
Announced in a LinkedIn post, his recruitment comes as Exa continues work on the first new fibre link between the UK and France in 20 years.
The project, which was commissioned earlier this year will offer greater capacity, resiliency and the lowest latency digital infrastructure connecting the two countries, with a data round trip taking less than 5.5 milliseconds.
The single par link will run over Crosslake Fibre’s new 550kmk CrossChannel cable from the data centre hub of Slough UK, through London and then directly to Paris.
