CityFibre’s Inverness Full Fibre network build marks two-year anniversary

Two years after starting its build, CityFibre has now installed a staggering 306km of full fibre optic cables up and down the streets of Inverness as part of its £21m plan to future-proof the city’s digital connectivity. The significant milestone means there is enough full fibre cabling connecting the city’s homes to take in the 305km from Inverness to the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, as the crow flies.

The landmark achievement was marked by CityFibre as City Manager, Allan McEwan, welcomed Councillor Duncan MacPherson for a tour of the build and a visit to the Cradlehall office of HighNet, one of CityFibre’s Internet Service Provider (ISP) partners for Inverness.

As part of the visit, Councillor MacPherson was introduced to the advanced technology CityFibre is using to construct its digital infrastructure, before meeting with the Inverness headquartered HighNet team, which has launched a residential internet service, BrawBand, specifically to provide city residents with full fibre access.

Councillor MacPherson, said: “It has been fantastic to see the progress CityFibre has made on its Inverness rollout, and I know that this investment into the city’s digital infrastructure is going to bring massive benefits to residents and businesses for years to come.

“Like many across Inverness I am already beginning to feel these benefits as I have recently connected to the network through BrawBand, the process of getting onto the network was very easy and hassle-free and I am enjoying having access to faster, more reliable broadband.”

Allan McEwan, CityFibre’s City Manager for Inverness, said: “Two years on from when we first started work on Inverness’ city-wide full fibre network, the fact that we have now laid enough fibre to cross the Irish Sea to the Giant’s Causeway really hits home how much progress we have made. We’re well on our way to giving Inverness the digital foundation it needs to thrive now and in the future, ensuring its residents and visitors will reap the benefits for decades to come.

“As a team, we’re really proud of the speed of deployment and benefits this will bring to Inverness, and with our network now live across many parts of the city we are pleased to be enabling residents to connect to the fastest and most reliable broadband services available.”

David Siegel, Managing Director at HighNet, added: “HighNet are delighted to have been involved in this project to deliver full fibre connectivity to the city of Inverness. Having been partnered with City Fibre for a number of years and being involved in this project since the early days, it is fantastic to see this vision become a reality with so much fibre being rolled out across the city. Our customers have not been shy in telling us what a difference BrawBand has made to their internet browsing experience, with buffering videos now a distant memory! The team were delighted to welcome Councillor Duncan into the office to hear about how he has benefitted from an ultrafast full fibre connection.”

Inverness is one of the first of a growing number of locations in the UK to benefit from CityFibre’s £4bn Gigabit City Investment Programme which will bring new and improved broadband infrastructure within reach of up to eight million homes and businesses nationwide.

CityFibre’s build partner GCU Utilities Ltd is working in various locations across the city, with construction currently ongoing in the Bught, Dalneigh and Scorguie areas. Work has been completed across large sections of the city including Balloch, Culloden, Smithton, Drakies, Crown, and Inshes with more to follow shortly.

As work is completed in each neighbourhood, residents can access some of the fastest and most competitive broadband packages available. In Inverness, services are available from BrawBand, TalkTalk and Zen, with more providers expected to join the network soon.

People interested in giving their home broadband a boost can find out more about the build, pre-register their interest and ensure they are updated on service availability at www.cityfibre.com/sneckie