CityFibre makes key appointment to spearhead Northampton’s full fibre future

CityFibre has appointed a new City Manager for Northampton as it prepares to start work on a £40m transformational project that will see nearly every home and business benefit from a full fibre broadband network. This new infrastructure will build on CityFibre’s existing full fibre network in the town, which has been dramatically improving the digital capabilities of businesses across Northampton since 2016. This means residents, as well as businesses, across Northampton will soon be able to enjoy the fastest, most reliable gigabit-speed connectivity through Vodafone who will be using CityFibre’s network to deliver Vodafone Gigafast Broadband services. James Cushing has been appointed by CityFibre to lead the delivery of the Northampton project. As City Manager, James will be responsible for ensuring a state-of-the-art full fibre network is implemented with minimal disruption while delivering maximum benefit for the wider community. Born and bred in Northampton, James studied Economics at the University of Northampton and has almost 20 years’ experience working for local government organisations in and around Northamptonshire where he has led on a range of inward investment, skills and digital projects. Prior to joining CityFibre, James was Head of Delivery for the Department of Digital Culture Media and Sport’s Local Full Fibre Network programme which piloted new ways to achieve the Government’s target to deliver full fibre coverage across the UK. James will be the lead point-of-contact for all the town’s stakeholders and will be a key advocate for the benefits that a full fibre network will bring to Northampton’s residents and businesses. James Cushing said: “Northampton is one of the most entrepreneurial regions in the country and has ambitious growth and generation plans. There are so many unbelievably innovative companies based here. State-of-the-art digital infrastructure will further enhance this, providing a real step change for the local economy by opening up new digital opportunities for both established businesses and start-ups. “The benefits of full fibre connectivity are huge and will not only be felt by businesses but residents too. As our lives move increasingly online, access to fast, reliable and high-capacity internet is becoming increasingly critical. I’m looking forward to working in partnership with stakeholders from across Northampton to ensure that we maximise all opportunities. At the same time, I’m determined to ensure that the local communities are with us every step of the way and understand the difference that gigabit-capable broadband can have now, and in the future.” With the full support of Northampton Borough Council and Northamptonshire County Council, work is expected to begin in autumn 2019 and CityFibre will use modern build techniques to deploy the network quickly while managing disruption for residents. Rob Hamlin, Chief Commercial Officer at CityFibre, added: “James will be a fantastic asset to our team, through his extensive local knowledge and experience of leading digital projects he will play a vital role in driving our work in Northampton forward. Our ‘fibre to the premises’ programme is going to be a game changer for both businesses and residents in Northampton. There really is no one better placed than James to help people discover more about the impact this investment will have on Northampton’s digital future.” To find out more about CityFibre’s Gigabit City vision and to discover career opportunities, visit: www.cityfibre.com/gigabit-cities