CityFibre extends full-fibre network to Peterborough

In its latest tranche of UK full-fibre roll-outs that has in the past few weeks seen networks lit up in Brighton and Hove, Tyneside and the city of Newcastle, communities across the Thames Valley in Berkshire, and Preston in Lancashire, the UK’s third-largest broadband provider, CityFibre, has announced plans to extend its build footprint for Peterborough.

The development is designed to enable thousands more homes to access its full-fibre network and reliable high-speed broadband services, and will see the former leading altnet invest a further £1.5m to boost an original £30m for the development project which has already brought high-speed broadband connectivity within reach of tens of thousands of premises.

In September 2020, CityFibre claimed to have hit a major milestone in Peterborough when it officially passed the halfway mark on its original build plan.

Now, with what the company has said is no less than “huge” demand for full-fibre services, the villages of Glinton and Eye are being added to the roll-out, with work starting in the areas this month. Services are now live for users across many areas of Peterborough, including Dogsthorpe, Paston, Walton, Eastfield, Park, Orton Southgate and New England.

The connections in these areas are being delivered via launch partner Vodafone’s Gigafast Broadband service, with TalkTalk Future Fibre packages also now available.

Residents in Glinton and Eye will be able to receive services from both Vodafone and TalkTalk. Granemore Group is delivering the project on CityFibre’s behalf.

The team will continue to work closely with CityFibre and Peterborough City Council to manage any disruption and use modern build techniques to ensure a fast and efficient roll-out.

Commenting on the deployment, Rebecca Stephens, CityFibre’s city manager for Peterborough, said: “We’re making huge strides in delivering full-fibre to homes and businesses across Peterborough, and we’re thrilled to be able to bring our best-in-class network to include those living in the villages of Glinton and Eye.

“At CityFibre, we pride ourselves on being agile and flexible. There is clear demand in these villages for Full Fibre and we’re now working quickly to ensure premises in both villages can access our network later this year.”

“It is our goal to give as many residents and businesses as possible access to full fibre networks and reliable high speed broadband services, so it’s great news that residents in Eye and Glinton will be the latest to receive these services,” said John Holdich, leader of Peterborough City Council.

“I’m sure residents in the many other parts of the city already benefiting from these services will vouch for how useful this level of digital connectivity is for businesses in particular,” he said.

“When the CityFibre project is complete, Peterborough will be one of the best digitally connected cities in the UK, and indeed the world. This will bring a number of positive benefits such as helping to attract and retain businesses, encouraging new investment, boosting innovation, and enhancing educational opportunities.”