CityFibre is carrying out network rollout works in a £20 million investment programme. It means thousands of homes and businesses in the city will be able to access internet services that are not only more reliable, but capable of gigabit speeds in both uploading and downloading.
During the visit to Cherry Hinton, Cambridge, the Mayor was shown how the fibre optic cabling was being rolled out, including how cables are buried and the land then reinstated.
Full fibre networks use 100% fibre optic cables to carry data at light speed all the way from the home to the point of connection.
When the full fibre network is installed, internet service providers (ISPs) then offer customers in the area new broadband packages featuring the upgraded speeds.
In Cambridge, full fibre broadband services are available from an increasing range of broadband providers. This currently includes launch partner Vodafone to supply full fibre infrastructure for customers on selected Vodafone Pro Broadband plans. Other providers available to buy from are TalkTalk and Air Broadband, IDNet and Zen Internet, with more providers expected to join the network soon.
CityFibre has already made the network ready for service in many wards including Kings Hedges, East and West Chesterton, Romsey, Abbey and parts of Arbury, Petersfield and Coleridge; plus work is ongoing in Queen Edith's and Cherry Hinton. March, Whittlesey and Yaxley are all in line for digital infrastructure investments from CityFibre.
In Peterborough, CityFibre has enabled 65,000 homes and businesses in the city to access its full fibre network and reliable high-speed broadband services as part of a £35 million digital infrastructure investment, which is close to completion.
The project forms part of CityFibre’s up to £4 billion Gigabit City Investment Programme which will bring full fibre networks within reach of up to 8 million homes and businesses across the UK.
Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Dr Nik Johnson said: “It was great to see the progress to install the very fastest full fibre internet technology in Cambridge. Digital connectivity is now a crucial part of the mix of infrastructure which makes somewhere a great place to live, learn, work and do business. I hope as many people as possible are able to take advantage and benefit from the faster internet.
“It’s never easy installing infrastructure of any kind into existing communities, but it was pleasing to see how CityFibre is aiming to keep disruption to a minimum.
“Covid-19 has emphasised how important having good, reliable internet is to people. It provides access to jobs, education, health and essential services, social contact and much more. It’s why in the current work to update to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Transport Plan, we are now including better digital infrastructure and technology as a key part of the strategy to better connect our region.
“And as part of the Connecting Cambridgeshire programme, the Combined Authority is supporting better connectivity, internet, mobile and Wi-Fi, across the region.”
Rebecca Stephens, Regional Partnership Director and City Manager for Cambridge, said: “It was a pleasure to be joined by Mayor Dr Nik Johnson on the dig walk today, where we enjoyed a close-up look at the fantastic progress our build team is making to bring the best available connectivity within reach of thousands of homes and businesses in Cambridge.
“Our £20m Full Fibre roll out is a major chapter in Cambridge’s digital story and will bring fantastic benefits to the area. It will help businesses boost productivity and innovation, help families make better use of smart home appliances, and will help enable seamless homeworking for locals.”
Image: Mayor Dr Nik Johnson talks with Rebecca Stephens, Regional Partnership Director and City Manager for Cambridge
Credit: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority