Kettering to benefit from Full Fibre boost as CityFibre announces £17m investment in the town

CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform, has named Kettering as the next UK town in line for a multi-million-pound investment in its digital infrastructure – a move that will see it join the nation’s growing list of full fibre enabled communities.

CityFibre is set to invest £17m in a new town-wide network that will bring fast and reliable full fibre-enabled internet services within reach of nearly every home and business in Kettering.

Construction work will begin in early May around the Northfield Avenue and Rockingham Road area in the north of the town. As work is completed in each neighbourhood, CityFibre will designate the homes ‘ready for service’, which means residents can choose to connect to faster and more reliable full fibre-enabled broadband services when they go live in their area.

Full fibre networks, unlike many of the copper-based ‘fibre broadband’ services available today, use 100 per cent fibre optic technology 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.

As Area Manager, James Cushing will lead the delivery of the Kettering project. He will be responsible for ensuring works are delivered efficiently and considerately, while also acting as the main point of contact for all stakeholders.

James said: “CityFibre’s investment will bring a step change in connectivity for Kettering. It will bring choice for residents and businesses, and align perfectly with the ambitious regeneration and growth plans for the town. Our builders will soon get to work on a town-wide full fibre network – and we think people will be blown away by the difference it will make, both now and for generations to come. We cannot wait for residents and businesses to see what is possible with digital connectivity and the important part it will play in each of our lives.”

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 helping residents access essential services and work from home, while enabling businesses to be more productive, innovative and access new markets.

Nationally, CityFibre is building new and better digital infrastructure for up to eight million homes and businesses through its up to £4bn Gigabit City Investment Programme.

Speaking of CityFibre’s full fibre rollout plans for Kettering, Councillor David Howes, North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive Member for Rural Communities and Localism, said: “Getting the right digital infrastructure in place is a big priority for the council – it’s so important in so many ways. Increasing full fibre connectivity helps support economic growth and innovation as well as keeping communities connected.

“We welcome CityFibre’s multimillion pound investment in Kettering and its wider plans for North Northamptonshire. I’m delighted that full fibre connectivity is now available to almost 30 per cent of properties in North Northants, up from less than 10 per cent two years ago. These current plans will help to boost this coverage and progress toward our targets of 40 per cent full fibre by the end of 2023 and then 80 per cent by 2028.”

In Kettering, construction 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 North Northamptonshire Council, Kettering Town 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.

The overall project is expected to reach completion by 2024 and 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.

In Kettering, services will be available from an increasing range of broadband providers. Across the UK, CityFibre is already working with Vodafone, Zen and Giganet to supply full fibre infrastructure for customers, while TalkTalk and other providers are expected to join the network soon.

Residents interested in giving their home broadband a boost can find out more about the build and register their interest at www.cityfibre.com/residential.