COVENTRY is to get a £60million broadband boost which will be ‘available to everyone in the city’ by the end of the year.
CityFibre – in partnership with Vodafone – is to invest £60million in full fibre infrastructure for homes and businesses in the city.
It is the latest city in the UK to benefit from gigabit speed full fibre broadband – with work to begin on installment later this year.
A new wave of towns and cities are to benefit from the roll-out of Gigabit-capable (1,000 Mbps) infrastructure as part of CityFibre’s plans to reach at least one million homes by 2021.
The company claims residents and workers in Coventry are next in line to have their online experience transformed.
A detailed planning and build programme has been agreed for Coventry as part of this first phase deployment.
The new infrastructure will build on the existing Gigabit City network in Coventry, which already spans 180km, with homes set to benefit for the first time.
To date, more than 300 public sector sites including schools, council offices and GP surgeries are already benefiting from full fibre connectivity, the council says.
With the full support of Coventry City Council, CityFibre will use modern build techniques to deploy the network quickly, while minimising disruption to residents. Once completed, nearly every home and business in Coventry will have full fibre access.
Councillor Jim O’Boyle, the council’s cabinet member for jobs and regeneration, said: “An investment of this size shows great confidence in the city and having a reliable, gigabit broadband service will be another way to attract and retain businesses to Coventry. With the growing importance and reliance on digital technology, the opportunity of having the benefits of full fibre will soon be available to everyone who lives and works in our city.”
Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Fast internet is vital for a modern economy. Businesses need to communicate quickly and share data around the world. But in the West Midlands we have a mixed picture, with some of the fastest speeds and some of the slowest. I made working with the private sector to drive up broadband speeds a priority and am really pleased that Coventry is to become the focus of the next Vodafone and CityFibre roll-out.”
Greg Mesch, chief executive at CityFibre, said: “Coventry will be among the first cities in the UK to benefit from this game-changing infrastructure programme, which will have a transformative impact on homes and businesses alike.”
