CityFibre says its fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) partnership with service provider Vodafone will provide gigabit-speed broadband access to almost every home and business in the city of Aberdeen, making it Scotland's first city with such service. CityFibre will invest at least £40 million of private funds in the city-wide roll-out, the company says.
Construction of the new gigabit-capable, full-fiber broadband network in Aberdeen will commence this July. CityFibre will use modern build techniques to efficiently deploy the network with minimal disruption. Almost every home and business in Aberdeen will have FTTP access once construction is complete, attests CityFibre.
Introduced in November, Aberdeen is the second UK location to be announced as part of Vodafone and CityFibre's strategic partnership, preceded by Milton Keynes (see "Vodafone chooses CityFibre FTTP network for UK broadband delivery"). The partnership builds on CityFibre's plans to extend its reach to approximately 12 cities and 1 million homes in the UK with an open-access fiber-optic broadband network by 2021 (see "CityFibre plans to raise £200 million for FTTH projects, acquisition").
While only 3% of UK premises currently have access to the new standard connections, the Scottish government is committed to a "Reaching 100%" plan to make Scotland one of the most connected places in Europe. CityFibre says Aberdeen was selected as the first FTTP Scottish city because of its emergent technology sector and the council's forward-looking support of what it asserts are "smart city" initiatives.
"This announcement also reaffirms that our approach to Reaching 100% (R100) is working," said Fergus Ewing MSP, cabinet secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity. "We are focusing our £600 million investment in Scotland's rural areas, while also creating the right environment to encourage commercial providers like CityFibre and Vodafone to invest in our urban areas. Our approach will ensure we meet our commitment to deliver 100% superfast broadband access across Scotland by the end of 2021."
From the customer's home or business to the internet, fiber-optic cables are being used for every stage of the connection, enabling Vodafone to offer customers ultrafast broadband services capable of gigabit speeds. The ultrafast connection will improve users' online experience by eliminating the need for copper wire, which traditionally slows down the network.
CityFibre says the first live services are expected by early 2019. Customers in Aberdeen will be able to pre-register for the Vodafone full fiber service at www.vodafone.co.uk/broadband/ultrafast.
"Our commitment to Aberdeen is further evidence of the action CityFibre is taking to deliver Britain's full fiber future," said Greg Mesch, CityFibre chief executive. "Our existing network in Aberdeen provides us with an eighteen-month head-start on a full fiber roll-out to nearly every home and business in the city. With similar FTTP backbone networks already built in over 40 UK towns and cities, our contribution to national full fiber coverage is well underway. We are getting on with the job of building Gigabit Britain – at full speed."
For related articles, visit the FTTx Topic Center.
For more information on FTTx technology and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.