CityFibre begins future-proofing Loughborough with £17m full fibre investment

Work to upgrade Loughborough’s digital foundations with fast, reliable and future-proof full fibre network connectivity is now underway after CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform, started construction works in the Storer and Garendon areas of town.

CityFibre is investing £17m in bringing this new technology within reach of almost every home and business in Loughborough, ensuring it’s able to serve residents’ data needs for decades to come.  

Locally, the rollout is being completed by Granemore Group. The team will work closely with CityFibre, Leicestershire County Council and Charnwood Borough Council to ensure any disruption is managed safely and efficiently. Typically, the team will only remain in each area for a few days at a time.

The project is expected to be completed early in 2024 but the first services will go live for people to take advantage of much sooner.  

Speaking of the project, James Cushing, CityFibre’s Area Manager for Loughborough, said: “I’m thrilled to see work getting underway on our full fibre network in the town. The data age is here, and fast and reliable connectivity has never been more important. With this new digital infrastructure upgrade, Loughborough will have the digital foundations it needs to thrive today, and long into the future.”

Full fibre networks, unlike many of the copper-based ‘fibre broadband’ services available today, use 100% fibre optic to carry data at light speed all the way from the home to the point of connection. This gives users speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps for upload and download, near limitless bandwidth and reliable connectivity.   

A full fibre connection also goes far beyond simply enabling access to the latest entertainment at lightning speed. Full fibre boosts households and businesses, with experts saying it will drive a range of economic benefits, such as making us more productive and innovative. 

Jane Hunt, MP for Loughborough, said: “Accessible and affordable broadband for all of our communities is part of my ‘six point plan’ for Loughborough, so I welcome this investment in full fibre broadband which is expected to boost productivity and innovation for local businesses in the area, unlocking significant economic potential and opportunities for the community. I’m delighted that CityFibre is bringing this futureproof technology and investment to our town, bringing choice and competition for residents and business and really enhancing connectivity in Loughborough.”

When the new network goes live in Loughborough, customers will be able to access full fibre enabled services via a choice of providers, including CityFibre’s UK launch partner, Vodafone, on selected Vodafone Pro Broadband plans, TalkTalk, Zen, Giganet and IDNet, with other providers expected to join the network soon.  

People interested in upgrading their home’s digital connection to full fibre can find out more about the build, pre-register their interest and ensure they are updated on service availability at www.cityfibre.com/PR.