CityFibre
CityFibre identifies massive economic gains for Cheltenham, Portsmouth areas through full fibre
Leading independent gigabit broadband provider reveals positive economic and productivity impacts in Gloucestershire and south-coast cities where it has introduced full fibre, running to £145m and £335m respectively
A report commissioned by the UK’s largest independent full-fibre platform, CityFibre, has identified two more non-metropolitan areas in the UK – Cheltenham and Portsmouth/Havant – that stand to be huge beneficiaries from the roll-out of full-fibre infrastructure.
As regards the key Gloucestershire city, the Economic impact of full-fibre infrastructure from CityFibre’s network study by consultancy Hatch estimates that over a 15-year period, the positive impacts of CityFibre’s £30m investment in Cheltenham will include £145m in productivity and innovation gains, £32m from a widened workforce, £665k in Local Authority efficiency savings and £130m in increased housing value.
Technological benefits were a major focus of the report, which calculated that the gigabit network in Cheltenham would help unlock £344m in gross added value (GVA) from 5G services, £93m from the internet of things and £61m from Smart City initiatives, such as intelligent traffic management systems and street lighting. In Cheltenham, working productivity uplifts from the ability to support hybrid working are estimated to exceed £8m. The Cheltenham network offers services currently available from TalkTalk, with more broadband providers expended to join the network soon.
The direct impact of network construction is also identified as a major contributor of Cheltenham’s economic growth, creating network construction jobs in CityFibre’s build partners and supply chain. Wherever possible, the new jobs will be recruited locally to support the roll-out.
Down on the south coast of England, Hatch estimates that over a 15-year period, the positive impacts of CityFibre’s £32m investment in Portsmouth and Havant will include £335m in productivity and innovation gains, £74m from a widened workforce, £13m in Local Authority efficiency savings and £263m in increased housing value.
Again, pinpointing technological benefits, Hatch calculated that CityFibre’s network in Portsmouth and Havant would help release £798m in GVA from 5G services, £249m from the internet of things and £35k from reduced CO2 emissions. It added that £141m from Smart City initiatives, such as intelligent traffic management systems and street lighting, will be achieved through Local Authority services’ participation in full fibre.
As with Cheltenham, the study noted that the continuing transition to home and flexible working, supported by full-fibre access at home and in the office, was unlocking access to a larger pool of labour for employers. In Portsmouth and Havant, working productivity uplifts were estimated to exceed £19m.
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Just as the benefits of full fibre were being introduced in the English locations, CityFibre revealed that work to bring full-fibre connectivity to homes and businesses across Glasgow has taken another step forward with the naming of its build partner for the Clydebank section of the deployment.
The latest construction phase of the £270m full-fibre network is due to start in early 2023, and will be delivered by local company IMS Scotland on behalf of CityFibre. Work has been going on across Glasgow to deliver CityFibre’s network in the city since 2021.
The overall Glasgow project is CityFibre’s largest city-wide investment for full-fibre deployment in the UK. Services have gone live across the city region, from Johnstone in the West to Rutherglen in the East, with many parts of Glasgow City Council’s area included, too.
