CITYFIBRE’S PRIMARY-BUILD IN LOWESTOFT IS NOW COMPLETE

CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform, has completed the primary-build of its full fibre network in Lowestoft. The new network is now 'ready for service’ to nearly 30,000 homes and most businesses, key public sector and community sites in the town, and surrounding areas. Lowestoft is the latest completed location in CityFibre’s nationwide rollout making it one of the best-connected locations in the country.

Construction began on the over £15m project in 2020 and the build plan was expanded during the rollout to include the surrounding areas of Carlton Colville, Normanston and Gunton. While the primary-build is now completed, CityFibre will continue to explore opportunities to reach more sites including new build properties, multi-dwelling units, homes on private or unadopted roads and business parks.

Residents in Lowestoft can now enjoy affordable, gigabit-capable, and reliable full fibre broadband from a range of internet service providers (ISPs) including Vodafone, TalkTalk, IDNet, Zen and Giganet. Almost all homes passed by the network can schedule a full fibre installation within five working days of placing an order. CityFibre’s network currently supports download and upload speeds of up to 2.5Gbps and is capable of supporting symmetrical speeds of up to 10Gbps.

In 2019, CityFibre was awarded a contract by MLL Telecom to deliver full fibre infrastructure to more than 600 public sites, including local authority offices, schools, libraries and leisure centres for Suffolk County Council. It also provides connectivity to various other public settings and services around Lowestoft and the surrounding areas.

Most recently, CityFibre was awarded a £100m contract by BDUK to subsidise its delivery of full fibre infrastructure to 80,000 hard to reach homes across Suffolk. In parallel, CityFibre has committed £74m to reaching a further 56,000 homes in the county.

A recent report by the consultancy Hatch, commissioned by CityFibre, found Lowestoft stands to experience significant economic, social and environmental benefits from its new digital infrastructure platform, including over £119m in productivity and innovation gains and £26m from a widened workforce over a 15-year period. Enabling 5G rollout alone could drive up to £284m in positive economic impact.

Neil Madle, Partnership Manager at CityFibre, said: “I’m delighted that Lowestoft can benefit from better broadband now that the primary-build of our full fibre network has been completed. Equipped with fast and reliable full fibre infrastructure between the town’s streets, residents can now enjoy seamless streaming, even when using multiple devices at once, with ample productivity and innovation benefits for the local economy.”

Peter Aldous, MP for Lowestoft, said: “CityFibre’s announcement today is most welcome and provides a significant boost to the Lowestoft economy, making us one of the best-connected places in the country. In this digital age, a strong internet connection is vital, both domestically and also commercially providing the high quality infrastructure that is necessary to attract new business to the area.”

People interested in upgrading their home’s digital connection to full fibre can find out more here.