CityFibre has announced a new £2.5 billion full-fibre investment plan which has earmarked 37 towns and cities primed for fibre-to-the-home expansion.

The investment plan follows the UK Government’s strategic direction for nationwide full-fibre connectivity, which underlined the need for multiple providers. Full-fibre rollout by CityFibre will be delivered to five million homes, which equates to one-third of the Government’s target of 15 million households by 2025.

The Government said the scale of its plan means it will be awarding city and town-wide construction contracts across the country for “several years to come.”

CityFibre Digital Infrastructure Programme

The firm said the investment will “provide the infrastructure needed to underpin the UK’s digital future” which could help generate up to £85 billion in economic benefits and create up to 5,000 construction jobs.

Additionally, the company suggested that this could help to provide a “superior backbone” for mobile operators and enable the rollout of 5G and IoT (Internet of Things) technology.

Once completed, CityFibre’s ‘whole-city build approach’ could ensure that nearly every home and business in its footprint will have access to “transformational” full-fibre connectivity.

The investment plan will deliver a comprehensive open-access platform, reaching nearly one-fifth of the UK’s consumer market and providing greater consumer choice for internet service providers (ISPs), the firm said.

Greg Mesch, CityFibre CEO, said: “With a head-start in 37 towns and cities, this full fibre investment plan enables us to further accelerate our rollout, catalysing huge economic growth in regional towns and cities across the country and transforming the UK’s digital future.

“Our roll-out will soon bring to scale an innovative wholesale network, providing internet service providers and mobile network operators with greater choice and unrivalled technical capabilities, benefiting all sectors of the market.”

Mesch also suggested that stronger ties and greater collaboration between industry, government and Ofcom will be required in the future. This collaboration, he explained, will help to “create a level playing field” that continues to encourage investment from multiple network operators in order to deliver full-fibre capability “as quickly and effectively as possible.”

Boosting Infrastructure

With Vodafone as its first consumer ISP customer, CityFibre’s infrastructural investment is already underway in a number of towns and cities across the UK, including Aberdeen, Milton Keynes and Peterborough.

Construction in Edinburgh and Stirling is also due to start before the end of 2018 while Glasgow has been identified as a city which will see additional investment in the future.

In early October, the company announced it will invest £100 million into Edinburgh as part of an ongoing commitment to bring ‘gold-standard’ connectivity to cities in the UK.

Working with Vodafone, the project aims to give every home and business in the UK access to next-generation full fibre internet. The investment marks a significant milestone in the UK’s copper switchover, with the UK Government targeting nationwide adoption by 2033.

Paul Wheelhouse MSP, Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands said the Scottish Government welcomes the investment programme, which will help “contribute towards our vision of a digitally future-proofed Scotland.”

Wheelhouse added that digital infrastructure investment is a key component of the Scottish Government’s plan to reach 100% of premises by the end of 2021.

He said: “Commercial investment in digital infrastructure in our cities is an important aspect of meeting our commitment to reaching 100% of premises by the end of 2021, alongside our work in rural Scotland, and this investment in full-fibre will enable our people and businesses to succeed while providing the stepping stone for advances in 5G technology.

“I am delighted that CityFibre is investing further in Scotland, recognising the important role Scotland plays in driving economic growth across the UK.”