24 October 2024, London: CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform, has begun work to connect up to 150,000 homes and businesses across rural areas of East Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire to next generation, full fibre broadband as part of the government’s Project Gigabit programme.
Works have now begun in East Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, with works in Hertfordshire set to begin in 2025. The rollout was made possible by the award of £58m in Project Gigabit subsidy to CityFibre, which is also contributing its own additional investment to further expand and densify its network.
In total, up to 150,000 homes and business in East Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire will have access to CityFibre’s full fibre broadband, part of CityFibre’s commitment to reach at least 8 million premises nationwide.
This rollout marks the fifth of nine Project Gigabit delivery contracts, known as ‘lots’, secured by CityFibre1, with the first Project Gigabit customers already connected to a new ultrafast 2.2bbps symmetrical broadband service in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk2.
East Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire are grouped under one Project Gigabit ‘Lot’, bid for and won by CityFibre.
The new network will provide residents and businesses with access to a wide range of Internet Service Providers, including well-known brands like Vodafone, TalkTalk and Zen as well as a number of exciting new providers. Sky’s Full Fibre Broadband will also become available on CityFibre’s full fibre network from next year.
Built using gold-standard XGS-PON technology, capable of supporting speeds of up to 10Gbps, CityFibre’s full fibre network will enable its current and future ISP partners to serve customers with far faster and more reliable broadband services than the legacy copper-based network currently available in the build areas.
Throughout the build, CityFibre will work closely with local stakeholders to ensure disruption is minimised and that the build is managed safely and efficiently. Residents and local businesses will be contacted ahead of any work starting.
Greg Mesch, Chief Executive Officer at CityFibre, said: “We’re thrilled to be bringing world class digital infrastructure to East Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, helping to ensure no one is left behind. With build now underway, we look forward to helping communities free themselves from the copper networks of the past and experience next generation full fibre services that are revolutionising how people work, relax and communicate.”
Full fibre networks use 100% fibre optic technology to carry data at light speed all the way to the home or business, offering near limitless bandwidth and reliable connectivity. People interested in upgrading to full fibre can find out more about the build, pre-register their interest and ensure they are updated on service availability at: www.cityfibre.com
ENDS
Issued on behalf of CityFibre by Weber Shandwick. For more information or images, contact: cityfibre@webershandwick.com
Notes to Editors:
1 The nine Project Gigabit Lots won by CityFibre are:
- Cambridgeshire
- Norfolk
- Suffolk
- Hampshire
- Leicestershire and Warwickshire
- East and West Sussex
- Kent
- Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes
- East Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire
2 First customer is connected to CityFibre’s ‘Project… | CityFibre
First ‘Project Gigabit’ customers in Norfolk Connect to ultrafast full fibre.
About CityFibre:
CityFibre is the UK’s largest independent full fibre infrastructure platform, providing carrier-neutral digital infrastructure to its wholesale customers and enabling ultra-fast, reliable and futureproof broadband, ethernet and 5G services to serve homes and businesses as well as schools, hospitals and GPs surgeries.
CityFibre’s full fibre network rollout programme targets up to a third of the UK market, representing up to 8m homes, 800k businesses, 400k local authority sites and 250k 5G access points. CityFibre has already announced 285 cities, towns and villages that will receive a transformational digital upgrade as part of the nationwide rollout.
As the only 100% full fibre wholesale network in the UK, CityFibre is trusted by major Internet Service Providers and mobile operators including TalkTalk, Three, Vodafone and Zen as well as a new generation of smaller regional ISPs dedicated to delivering full fibre Broadband. In August 2024, Sky and CityFibre announced a long-term partnership that will see Sky launch broadband services on the CityFibre network. Work is underway to ensure Sky’s Full Fibre Broadband will be available to people on the CityFibre network in 2025.
CityFibre is based in London and is owned by funds managed by Antin Infrastructure Partners and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Mubadala Investment Company and Interogo Holding.
Project Gigabit:
Project Gigabit is the UK government’s rollout of lightning-fast, reliable broadband across the UK. The programme targets homes and businesses that are not included in broadband companies’ commercial plans, reaching parts of the country that would otherwise miss out.
To date, CityFibre has secured nine Project Gigabit contracts, totalling over £782m in government subsidies to serve more than 464,000 hard to reach rural homes and businesses in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, Sussex, Kent, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire & Milton Keynes. Alongside co-investment from CityFibre, the awards have unlocked almost £1.2bn in combined public and private investment in rural broadband.
By the end of 2025, the government is targeting 85% of the UK to have gigabit-capable connectivity, and then nationwide coverage by 2030.
PR Archives: Latest, By Company, By Date