CityFibre extends Project Gigabit, Sky Broadband eases full-fibre switching

The UK’s fast-growing full-fibre broadband industry is aiming to combine reach with quality as CityFibre has connected its first customers in Norfolk under the Project Gigabit scheme, while Sky Broadband states it is the UK’s only major provider with a dedicated 24/7 switching support service.

The £5bn Project Gigabit programme was introduced in 2021 with the aim of accelerating the UK’s recovery from Covid-19; boosting high-growth sectors such as tech and the creative industries; and levelling up the country, spreading wealth and creating jobs across the country.

On its launch, the previous UK government said the scheme would prioritise areas with slow connections that would otherwise be left behind in commercial broadband companies’ plans and give rural communities access to the fastest internet on the market, helping to grow the economy.

The recently elected Labour administration reconfirmed the original objective to build a broadband infrastructure that would achieve full gigabit coverage by 2030.

By April 2024, more than £1.3bn had already been invested in Project Gigabit contracts, resulting in nearly 82% of properties across the UK having access to gigabit broadband, up from just 7% at the same time five years ago. This investment saw more than a million rural homes, businesses and public buildings upgraded to gigabit-capable networks.

In February 2024, CityFibre was awarded five new contracts under the Project Gigabit programme to supply gigabit access to more than 202,000 rural properties that had hitherto been excluded from roll-outs by the major service providers.

The new connections in Norfolk mark an important milestone for CityFibre, which is rolling out its 10Gbps-capable full-fibre networks to more than 1.3 million subsidised and commercial premises in hard-to-reach homes through the Project Gigabit programme.

One of the first regions to be connected was Newton St Faith, where many businesses and households had limited bandwidth that meant remote workers struggled to operate from home and found it difficult to connect their smart-home devices. Users can now switch Vodafone Broadband services using CityFibre’s full-fibre network connection, receiving download speeds of up to 910Mbps alongside upload speeds of up to 105Mbps.

“It’s great to see the first customers connected via the Project Gigabit roll-out in Norfolk,” said councillor Jane James, cabinet member for Corporate Services and Innovation at Norfolk County Council. “Access to extremely fast and reliable full-fibre is incredibly important to our residents and businesses and will transform the way people live and work in these rural communities.”

Meanwhile, highlighting that it was the UK’s least complained about major provider, according to UK regulator Ofcom’s quarterly complaints report, Sky Broadband has launched its 24/7 switching support service in “a mission to continue to put customers first”.

The new One Touch Switch process means that customers can get through to a real person with any questions about switching their broadband, day or night when moving their broadband to Sky. This includes access to the digital hub containing elements that customers need to know when switching their broadband, 24/7 service through an agent or online chat, and engineers on hand to help customers switch and stay connected.

“We know switching broadband providers is a big decision for our customers, so we’re making it easier than ever,” said Amber Pine, managing director of connectivity at Sky Broadband.

“As the UK’s only major provider with a 24/7 broadband switching support service, we can help with round-the-clock questions about your Sky Broadband, or even change your full-fibre installation date in the early hours of the morning.”