Northampton joins the ranks of UK Gigabit Cities

CityFibre announces partnership with dbfb to bring ultra-fast internet to Northampton's businesses

London and Northampton – 22nd September 2016 – CityFibre, the UK’s leading alternative provider of digital infrastructure, has today announced that Northampton will become the UK’s next Gigabit City. CityFibre is making its 45km state of the art pure fibre network available to Northampton’s business community by means of a partnership with dbfb, a long-standing Northampton-based business internet service provider. From today dbfb will offer innovative and affordable, gigabit speed internet services to Northampton businesses up to 100 times faster than the UK’s average. This gigabit connectivity will allow businesses to future-proof themselves as their demand for bandwidth increases, seamlessly integrating a new generation of powerful cloud services. As a business with close links to the town, dbfb have pledged an initial donation of £5,000 to the Cynthia Spencer Hospice for the first 50 connections, and will then donate £50 per business connecting to the new network thereafter. Northampton County Council has already set ambitious targets to make superfast broadband available countywide by the end of 2017 in order to stimulate growth in the region. The gigabit network will not only help the council reach its targets, but will provide the ultra-fast and future-proof infrastructure required for new and existing businesses in the area to thrive. Northampton was named the best place for business start-ups outside London in the Centre for Cities’ report Cities Outlook 2016 , and these companies will now have access to some of the most advanced internet connectivity in the country. Greg Mesch, CEO of CityFibre, said: “We’re delighted to be announcing Northampton as a Gigabit City and dbfb as our launch partner. The council has already shown its commitment to improving digital infrastructure and we hope that our investment will help Northampton reach its targets even faster. Pure fibre networks like these will one day be common-place but until then, Northampton and its businesses will be able to enjoy a huge digital head start on the competition.” Brian Kingston co-founder and Chairman of dbfb said “dbfb has always been at the heart of Northampton’s business community. It’s a dream come true for us to now bring the latest advancements in digital connectivity to our home town. It is not every day you have the chance to introduce a product that will transform the way a business can operate – but this is one of those days! From today, Northampton businesses can access affordable, ultra-fast internet services from dbfb that will leave all but the most expensive connection options in the slow lane. This is truly a new generation of internet service and as a Northampton business ourselves, we are hugely proud to bring it to our town. Gig Up Northampton!” Paul Griffiths from Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce said, “We’ve long understood how critical good internet access is for businesses and citizens alike and we’re committed to ensuring it becomes a reality for everyone. For the many start-up businesses in Northampton, having a market leading internet connection will make all the difference to their success and allow them to compete on a global-scale with other digitally-advanced businesses. We’re delighted that CityFibre has chosen to invest in Northampton and are very excited to see the impact it has.” John Helm, Fundraising Manager from Cynthia Spencer Hospice praises the commitment dbfb have made to them with “As an organisation based in the town, it’s great to see that Northampton is evolving. It is clear that these internet services will be of huge benefit to the town. We extend a huge thank you to dbfb for supporting us, a local charity, with every connection made. These funds will enable Cynthia Spencer to continue to provide specialist support and services to those in need in Northampton” Northampton Gigabit City will be officially launched at an event this afternoon at the Northampton Saints Rugby Ground. Businesses are now able to register their no obligation interest at www.cityfibre.com/Northampton --ENDS-- About CityFibre: CityFibre is the national builder of Gigabit Cities, as the UK’s largest alternative provider of wholesale fibre network infrastructure. It has major metro duct and fibre footprints in 37 cities across the UK and a national long distance network that connects these cities to major data-centres across the UK and to key peering points in London. The company has an extensive customer base spanning service integrators, enterprise and consumer service providers and mobile operators. Providing a portfolio of active and dark fibre services, CityFibre’s networks address 26,000 public sites, 7,400 mobile masts, 260,000 businesses and 3.7 million homes. CityFibre is based in London, United Kingdom, and its shares trade on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange (AIM: CITY). Further information on the company can be found at www.cityfibre.com