CityFibre breaks ground in Nottingham

LONDON – Nottingham has now reached a major milestone in its digital transformation as work begins on the extension of its full fibre network to reach almost every home and business in the city.

As part of a £117m private investment from CityFibre, Nottingham will benefit from a state-of-the-art full fibre roll-out, meaning its residents and businesses will soon be able to enjoy access to the fastest, most reliable connectivity available.

Construction work has commenced in the Bilborough, Leen Valley and Wollaton areas. The first homes and businesses will be able to connect to the network from May 2021, with works projected to be largely completed by December 2025.

Neal Wright has been appointed by CityFibre to spearhead the Nottingham project. As City Manager, Neal will provide a key point of liaison between the wider community and the CityFibre team, while ensuring the project is implemented with minimal disruption. He will work to raise awareness of full fibre technology and the many benefits it will bring to the city.

Neal Wright, CityFibre's City Manager for Nottingham, said: "This is the largest investment we have made in the Midlands to date and for people across Nottingham, their digital future is just around the corner. With work now started, the first Nottingham homes will soon be able to experience Full Fibre connectivity which is definitely something to be celebrated.

"Not only will households be able to access all the latest entertainment at lightning speed, but the benefits of Full Fibre are far deeper than that – from enabling smart home technology to giving people the freedom to work from home with ease.

"The investment also comes at a critical time for Nottingham's forward-thinking business community. Next generation Full Fibre connectivity has been linked to increased innovation and productivity, ultimately giving businesses the platform they need to realise their growth ambitions. And it won't just improve business locally – it will also help businesses take their products or services to an international audience."

McCann Ltd is delivering the construction programme on CityFibre's behalf. The company will use modern build techniques to deploy the network quickly, while working closely with Nottingham City Council and local communities to manage disruption and ensure a fast and successful roll-out. Residents will be kept informed by door-to-door leafleting advising of works in their streets.

Andrew Kelsey, Director at McCann Ltd, said: "This is now the second city that McCann is operating in on behalf of CityFibre as part of its Gigabit City investment programme. As a Nottingham based company, we’re incredibly proud to play our part in shaping the city’s digital future and are looking forward to seeing the impact this will have on businesses, residents and communities."

Currently, fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) is only available to less than 20 percent of premises across the UK. It is revered as the best in connectivity for its speed, near unlimited bandwidth and reliability. By using fibre optic cables for every stage of the connection from the customer’s home or business to the Internet, users will be offered a significantly superior and more reliable broadband service, capable of Gigabit speeds (1,000 Mbps).

CityFibre