Under this partnership, the Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) programme will bring full fibre broadband to the city, which means nearly every Aberdonian home and business will have access to ultrafast and reliable broadband. Construction is expected to begin in July and when complete FTTP will span over 100kms across the city, making Aberdeen the second UK Gigabit city.

Aberdeen’s emergent tech sector and commitment to smart city initiatives made it an ideal candidate to become Scotland’s first FTTP city. Currently, only 3% of UK premises have access to Gigabit speed broadband, 1,000 mega bites per second (Mbps), making Aberdeen a forerunner in Scotland’s digital transformation.

The partnership focuses on extending CityFibre’s existing FTTP infrastructure to approximately 12 cities and reaching one million homes across the UK by 2021. FTTP programme will see fibre optic cables being used at every stage of connection thus replacing unreliable copper wire connections. By negating the use of copper users’ online experience will be transformed.

Cementing Aberdeen’s Position as a Digital Leader

Douglas Lumsden, Co-Leader of Aberdeen City Council, said: “This announcement represents a significant step forward in delivering connectivity which will change the lives of residents and give businesses access to new ways of working. Aberdeen City Council is determined to lead from the front in digital transformation and enhance the city’s standing on the global stage.”

“The collaboration with CityFibre and Vodafone is a wonderful example of our partnership approach in action – where the financial commitment we have made will leverage £40million of private investment in our city’s infrastructure.”

Welcoming the announcement, Fergus Ewing MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity, said: “This Government is committed to working with the private sector and local authorities to deliver the digital infrastructure needed all across Scotland to enable people and businesses to succeed. I therefore welcome this significant project from CityFibre and Vodafone.

“It will help transform Aberdeen into one of the UK’s best connected cities and contribute to our goal of an economically and digitally future-proofed Scotland. I am delighted that the Scottish Government’s recent £2m investment to increase broadband speeds for key public buildings across Aberdeen has helped pave the way for this deal.”

“This announcement also reaffirms that our approach to Reaching 100% (R100) is working. We are focusing our £600m investment in Scotland’s rural areas, while also creating the right environment to encourage commercial providers like CityFibre and Vodafone to invest in our urban areas.”

“Our approach will ensure we meet our commitment to deliver 100% superfast broadband access across Scotland by the end of 2021.”