CityFibre and Ask4 sign strategic wholesale partnership agreement to extend roll-out of ultrafast gigabit-speed connectivity

Pure fibre networks bring next generation connectivity to business customers and student accommodation across UK town and cities

London, 25th November 2013 - CityFibre, a leading independent UK provider of fibre infrastructure, today announced a strategic partnership with its long standing wholesale partner, Ask4, a specialist provider of managed telecommunication services. The agreement will see CityFibre added to Ask4’s Strategic Supplier list, enabling Ask4 to offer ultrafast, gigabit-speed internet services over CityFibre’s pure fibre infrastructure to its business, student residence and multi-dwelling unit (MDU) customers.

The partnership is great news for developers of student accommodation as Internet provision has now replaced having an en-suite bathroom as the primary influencer on where students choose to live, according to the most recent National Student Housing Survey1. Student accommodation typically represents very high bandwidth demands and only fibre offers the capacity, speeds and reliability required to deliver the next generation of Internet services.

Business customers will also continue to benefit as fibre provides an ultrafast, affordable gigabit-speed alternative to the incumbent telecoms suppliers, many of whom rely on 100-year old copper-based technology to connect to the global market place.

“This Strategic Partnership will have long-term mutual benefits for both our companies and we look forward to adding value for existing and prospective customers in the business, student and multi-tenanted accommodation sectors. We have already signed five significant contract extensions with CityFibre as the dark fibre provider and we are very pleased to be enhancing our long standing relationship with them,” says Matt Eley, Commercial Director at Ask4.

“Businesses increasingly require unrestricted capacity in order to be competitive in today’s globally connected world,” continues Matt Eley. “With CityFibre as a Strategic Partner, we are able to offer a future-proof solution that can deliver all the efficiency benefits of ultrafast Internet today. Only a 100% pure fibre network can smoothly deliver next-generation applications and services such as cloud-computing and real-time communications like video-conferencing, as well as enable huge amounts of data to be transferred in seconds. These services transform workplaces, increasing employee efficiency and job satisfaction.”

“We are delighted to be in a Strategic Partnership with Ask4,” says Rob Hamlin, Director of Business Development at CityFibre. “Our two companies have a long standing wholesale relationship so this partnership extends that affiliation and further develops the business opportunity. As Ask4 expands into the business premises sector, they can now offer a much broader range of business services than they were previously able to thanks to the gigabit capacity of our fibre infrastructure. In addition, now that CityFibre is on the Ask4 Strategic Supplier list, we will be able to quote for supplying new customer connections and for replacing connections for existing customers with our ultrafast fibre network.”

1. See http://www.nshs.co.uk/award-news/net-savvy-students/

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About CityFibre

CityFibre is the UK’s largest independent provider of fibre infrastructure in secondary cities. It builds dedicated, next-generation, gigabit speed fibre networks for the public sector, business community and residential markets. Services are delivered by a number of Service Provider partners. The company currently manages over 100 private fibre projects and seven separate metropolitan fibre networks under long-term contract with local authorities, businesses and wholesale partners.

The company owns the UK’s largest FTTH project in Bournemouth where its own Internet Service Provider, Gigler, currently offers one of the few gigabit residential and business services in the country. Alongside Bournemouth and York, CityFibre has recently announced Peterborough as its next Gigabit City project. For more information visit www.cityfibre.com