CityFibre starts work on futureproofing Hartlepool’s digital foundations with £21m full fibre investment

Work to bring full fibre connectivity within reach of almost every home and business in Hartlepool gets underway today as CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent carrier-neutral 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 £21m town-wide full fibre network has begun in Hartlepool and is being delivered by Granemore Group on behalf of CityFibre. The team will use a range of construction methods while working in close partnership with Hartlepool Borough Council and local communities to deliver a fast rollout while managing 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.

The overall project is expected to reach completion by 2025 but the first services will go live for people to take advantage of much sooner. 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 supply full fibre infrastructure for customers on selected Vodafone Pro Broadband plans, as well as TalkTalk, Giganet, Zen and IDNet, with other partners expected to join the network soon.

Speaking of the project, Steph Carter-Smith, Area Manager for Hartlepool, said: “This is the start of an exciting new chapter for Hartlepool. We’re delivering a new generation and powerful network that will future-proof the town’s digital capabilities for years to come.

“This project is about much more than simply putting fibre in the ground. Strong digital infrastructure plays a major role in boosting local economies, as well as supporting new services and we look forward to giving residents and businesses a choice of the best possible packages from a range of ISPs.”

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.

Councillor Shane Moore, Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “I am delighted that work has started, and it is great news for the town, its residents and businesses. As an authority, we are committed to growing the local economy to create a range of high-quality jobs for local people and the provision of reliable, high-speed internet services is key to that.”

CityFibre is bringing full fibre connectivity within reach of up to 8 million homes in towns and cities across the UK. Find out more here.