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Four more cities to benefit from Vodafone and CityFibre's super-fast broadband
(WebFG News) - Vodafone and CityFibre have identified the next wave of towns and cities to benefit from their roll-out of ultra-fast, gigabit-capable full fibre broadband, the two companies announced on Tuesday.
The pair said residents and workers in Coventry, Edinburgh, Huddersfield and Stirling would be next in line to have their online experience "transformed".
Alongside the cities already announced - Milton Keynes, Peterborough and Aberdeen - the four new locations would take the total number of homes and businesses identified to date to more than half a million premises across seven cities.
It would also take CityFibre's committed infrastructure investment in the project to at least £315m.
The companies said that, by using fibre optic cables for every stage of the connection from the customer's home or business to the wider internet, users would be offered a "significantly superior" and more reliable broadband service, capable of gigabit speeds, meaning up to 1,000 Mbps.
Most existing so-called fibre broadband connections usually make use of BT's Openreach twisted pair copper network, capable of speeds of up to 80 Mbps, or Virgin Media's coaxial copper network, with advertised speeds of up to 300 Mbps.
Vodafone would use CityFibre's network to bring its 'Vodafone Gigafast Broadband' product to customers.
Residential and business customers in Coventry, Edinburgh, Huddersfield and Stirling would be able to pre-register for the service from Tuesday.
"I'm delighted to welcome everyone living in Coventry, Edinburgh, Huddersfield and Stirling to the full fibre club, with a broadband service like no other," said Vodafone UK chief executive Nick Jeffery.
"After five months we are well on track with the joint Gigafast broadband programme that will help position the UK as a world leading digital centre."
CityFibre said detailed city-wide planning was already underway, and it was working closely with each local authority to coordinate the build and maximise the benefits of full fibre to each city.
Construction work had already begun in Milton Keynes, five months after Vodafone and CityFibre first announced their strategic partnership to deliver full fibre to at least one million UK homes and businesses.
The build-out was set to begin in subsequent cities in the coming months.
"Behind each city project announced today, lie concrete plans, advanced network designs, and the resources to mobilise construction," commented CityFibre chief executive Greg Mesch.
"We also have a significant head-start, harnessing our existing, extensive duct infrastructure that is tailor-made for city-wide FTTP expansion.
"Our commitment, in partnership with Vodafone, is to totally transform each city in which we roll-out by bringing ubiquitous full fibre to everyone and we are well on our way."
Shares in CityFibre were already being propelled through the roof on Tuesday, after the company posted a solid set of results, including a 126% surge in turnover for the 2017 calendar year.