CityFibre gets to work on Stockton’s future-proofing full fibre rollout

Work to bring full fibre connectivity within reach of almost every home and business in Stockton gets underway today as CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform, breaks ground on a new infrastructure rollout that will futureproof the town’s digital needs for generations to come.

Construction of the £28m town-wide full fibre network has begun in Stockton and is being delivered by Ociusnet on behalf of CityFibre. The team will use a range of construction methods while working in close partnership with Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council and local communities to deliver a fast rollout while minimising potential disruption.

Each area will usually take a few weeks to complete, however, construction teams will typically only be outside each home for two to three days, and CityFibre will be in touch by mail ahead of any work starting. As the network is completed in each neighbourhood, internet service providers (ISPs) will ‘light them up’ with some of the fastest and best value broadband packages available in the country.

The network is not yet live, but once activated, services will be available from an increasing range of broadband providers. Across the UK, CityFibre is already working with launch partner, Vodafone, to deliver next generation broadband services, as well as TalkTalk, Giganet, Zen and IDNet and other providers expected to join the network soon.

Speaking of the project, Steph Carter-Smith, CityFibre’s Area Manager for Stockton, said: “We’re excited to bring our network to another North-East area with the start of the Stockton build. It’s important to remember that any short-term disruption will pay off in the long-term as we transform the town’s digital infrastructure and make it ready to serve the community’s connectivity needs for decades to come.”

Full fibre networks, unlike many of the copper-based ‘fibre broadband’ services available today, use 100% fibre optic cables 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 connectivity users can depend on.

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

Matt Vickers, MP for Stockton added: “Plugging households and businesses into full fibre broadband is an integral part of the levelling up agenda. The work being carried out by CityFibre as a result of the Government’s £5 billion Project Gigabit will ensure that even more homes and businesses across Stockton are connected to first-class broadband.

“70% of UK premises now have a gigabit-capable connection, and we are well on our way to meeting Project Gigabit’s 85% target.”

CityFibre is bringing full fibre connectivity within reach of up to 8 million homes in towns and cities across the UK. Residents interested in giving their home broadband a boost can find out more about the build and pre-register their interest here.