UK fibre roll-out continues apace with majors, altnets

Major and independent broadband service providers have announced further development in the UK’s full-fibre infrastructure.

Just after naming Stockton as the next UK town in line for a multimillion-pound investment in its digital infrastructure, CityFibre, former altnet and now the country’s third-largest network company, is investing £23m in a new town-wide network in High Wycombe that will bring full-fibre-enabled internet services within reach of almost every home and business in the locality.

Construction work on the full-fibre network will start in June in West Wycombe, with Instalcom appointed as build partner. Services will be available from an increasing range of broadband providers.

Across the UK, CityFibre is already working with launch partner Vodafone to supply full-fibre infrastructure for customers on selected Vodafone Pro Broadband plans, and TalkTalk and other providers are expected to join the network soon.

Construction work on CityFibre’s full-fibre network in Stockton will begin later this year, while further down the northeast England coast, infrastructure and connectivity specialist Connexin has announced the expansion of its alternative, full-fibre network build into Beverley.

With plans to bring the Yorkshire region to the digital forefront, Connexin has already begun work in the town and plans to connect customers soon. The company said this will bring much-needed competition and choice for residents in the HU17 postcode region. Connexin has a stated aim of breaking what it calls the region’s broadband monopoly with its 10Gbps-capable fibre network roll-out and 2Gbps home broadband package. The company connected its first customer to its new full-fibre network in Hull and East Yorkshire in January 2022.

“When we originally announced the network roll-out in Hull, we spoke about our commitment to create a more competitive broadband marketplace in the city – we are acting on that promise,” said Simon Burckhardt, MD of Connexin Consumer and Business. “Our expansion into Beverley is a step towards broadband choice for people not only in Hull, but in the surrounding areas as well.”

East Yorkshire is rapidly transforming from a gigabit blackspot to hotspot. Just days ago, MS3 Networks announced it had signed an agreement with national broadband service provider Air Broadband to sell fibre broadband to homes and businesses across the region, with further expansion plans to follow. MS3 has completed the first phase of the Hull build-in, and plans to reach towns such as Grimsby and Scunthorpe as part of its plans to cover 500,000 properties in the next four years.

“We are excited to see Air Broadband launching on MS3’s wholesale platform in Hull,” said MS3 sales and marketing director Sam Hales. “It further illustrates the desire for national ISPs to access an entirely new market and finally bring choice of broadband provider for residents.”