CityFibre begins building Weston-super-Mare’s Full Fibre future

Work to transform Weston-super-Mare into one of the world’s best digitally connected towns kicks off today.

Weston-super-Mare is celebrating a major milestone in its digital transformation today as work begins to extend its full fibre network to reach almost every home and business locally.

As part of a £22m private investment from CityFibre, Weston-super-Mare will benefit from a city-wide full fibre network roll-out that will bring the next generation of digital connectivity to the city and make it accessible to all.

According to research from economic consultancy Regeneris, full fibre connectivity will have a major impact in Weston-super-Mare over the next 15 years. It shows that up to £41m could be added to the value of local homes, while Smart City initiatives could add as much as £13m locally.

Access to full fibre could also unlock £7m in business productivity and innovation, while a further £4m in growth could be driven from new business start-ups, with enhanced connectivity making it easier and less expensive to set up base and run efficiently.

Construction work has officially commenced in Hutton Moor, with the rest of the town set to follow. Kier Group is delivering the construction programme on CityFibre’s behalf, using modern build techniques to deploy the network quickly. The team is also working closely with CityFibre, North Somerset Council and local communities to manage disruption and ensure a fast and successful roll-out. Meanwhile, residents are being kept informed by mailings ahead of works in their streets.

Kathryn Askew Smith, CityFibre’s City Manager for Weston-super-Mare, said: “It’s really exciting to be part of CityFibre’s gigabit revolution, transforming connectivity for towns and cities across the country. Our digital infrastructure plays a crucial role in growing and protecting local economies; and even more so during these unprecedented times when connectivity is proving vital to residents, businesses and public services alike.”

Cllr Mark Canniford, Executive Member for Business and Economy at North Somerset Council, added: “It is fantastic that CityFibre is now delivering on its infrastructure programme to bring a future-proofed, Full Fibre digital network to Weston-super-Mare. This will bring many benefits to residents and businesses alike and create opportunities for our local economy to grow and prosper well into the next generation.”

Currently, fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) is available to less than 20 per cent of premises across the UK. It is revered as the best in connectivity for its speed, near unlimited bandwidth and reliability. By using fibre optic cables for every stage of the connection from the customer’s home or business to the Internet, users will be offered a significantly superior and more reliable broadband service, capable of Gigabit speeds (1,000 Mbps).

The full fibre network is not yet live, but once activated, services will be available from an increasing range of Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Residents interested in connecting to full fibre broadband can pre-register their interest at cityfibre.com/residential and they will receive information when services are available.