Press Release | 09 Oct 2018

Three new towns and cities to join Vodafone and CityFibre full-fibre programme

  • Customers in Cambridge, Leeds and Southend-on-Sea next in line to receive gigabit-capable fibre optic broadband

Cambridge, Leeds and Southend-on-Sea are set to benefit from a multimillion-pound digital investment as part of Vodafone and CityFibre’s plans to bring full fibre broadband to one million UK homes and businesses by 2021.

They bring the total number of towns and cities confirmed to receive full fibre deployments to ten, representing over £465m of committed infrastructure investment in the programme by CityFibre to date.

Full fibre broadband offers users a significantly superior and more reliable online experience, with download speeds 20 times faster and upload speeds 150 times faster than the average fixed broadband connection in the UK.

With CityFibre’s rollout of new gigabit-capable fibre optic cables, the partnership is committed to supporting the UK’s digital future by accelerating the ‘copper switchover’. This is the process of replacing slow copper wire broadband connections with much faster full fibre to the home.

Once CityFibre has installed the fibre infrastructure in each city, customers are able to benefit from Vodafone’s Gigafast Broadband service. This offers faster and more reliable broadband with both upload and download speeds of at least 900Mbps. Since mid-September 2018, customers in Milton Keynes have already placed orders for Vodafone Gigafast Broadband, and residents and businesses in Aberdeen and Peterborough will be eligible to pre-order the service from November 2018.

Vodafone UK Chief Executive Nick Jeffery said: “Overhauling the nation’s broadband is a vital undertaking that we’re proud to be a part of. By bringing the benefits of full fibre to more and more cities and towns, from Stirling to Southend-on-Sea, one million homes across the country can benefit from this world-class technology.”

Greg Mesch, CEO at CityFibre, added: “Our roll-out is gathering pace. We have made investment commitments that will transform the digital capabilities of ten towns and cities forever. The full fibre age is taking hold across the UK and CityFibre is leading the charge, Britain should prepare for a copper to fibre switchover as this aging technology cannot keep up with the UK’s connectivity needs.”

Detailed city-wide planning is already underway in Cambridge, Leeds and Southend-on-Sea, and CityFibre is working closely with each local authority to co-ordinate the build and maximise the benefits of full fibre. CityFibre has already invested in spine networks in each of these locations, working with a range of partners to connect public services such as schools, libraries, offices and businesses.

Construction has already begun in Milton Keynes, Peterborough and Aberdeen, with work set to start in Edinburgh, Stirling, Coventry and Huddersfield before the end of this year.

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To find out more about Vodafone Gigafast Broadband service, visit www.vodafone.co.uk/gigafast

To find out more about CityFibre and its Fibre to the Home roll-out, visit www.cityfibre.com/residential

 

For further information:

Vodafone UK Media Relations

Telephone: 01635 693 693

@VodafoneUKNews

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About Vodafone UK

Vodafone UK is a technology communications company that connects people, businesses and devices to help our customers benefit from digital innovation. Our services span mobile, fixed-line connections, home and office broadband, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

We have a strong track record as a tech pioneer, making the UK’s first mobile phone call, sending the first text message, and making the UK’s first live holographic call using 5G in 2018. We were the first to start carrying live 5G traffic from a site in Salford, Greater Manchester and now have 5G in locations across Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain as well as the UK. Meanwhile, our 4G network coverage currently reaches over 99% of the UK population.

Today, Vodafone serves more than 18 million mobile and fixed-line customers in the UK. Vodafone is the largest provider of full fibre in the UK – our superfast broadband services are now available to nearly 12 million homes across the UK.

Sustainability is also at the heart of what we do: as of 1 July 2021, 100% of the grid electricity we use in the UK is certified to be from renewable sources.

For more information about Vodafone UK, please visit: www.vodafone.co.uk.

Vodafone UK Media Relations

Telephone: +44 (0) 1635 693 693

Email: ukmediarelations@vodafone.com

Twitter: @VodafoneUKNews

Website: https://vodafone.co.uk/newscentre/

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