Norwich’s new network a step closer as contractor appointed for CityFibre’s £50m full fibre project

21 June 2021: Residents and businesses across Norwich will benefit from a £50m digital infrastructure project with the build set to begin in early September.

CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform, is mobilising ahead of work starting and has now appointed a contractor to deliver the build programme. This will see full fibre connectivity laid across Norwich, giving almost every home and business in the city access to the game-changing technology.

Utilities specialist Telec Networks will serve as contractor and will use a range of construction methods while working in close partnership with Norwich City Council and local communities to deliver a fast rollout while minimising disruption to residents.

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

To spearhead the project, CityFibre has appointed Charles Kitchin as City Manager. As City Manager, Charles will be the main point of contact between stakeholders and the CityFibre team, ensuring the project continues to be implemented with minimal disruption to Norwich communities.

Charles Kitchin, CityFibre’s City Manager for Norwich said: “The next chapter in Norwich’s story starts here. Our builders will soon get to work on a city-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 that propels you forward rather than holds you back.

“The appointment of a contractor is a major step forward for us as we prepare to bring full fibre connectivity to the city at the same time as creating new jobs and opportunities. I look forward to working closely with Telec Networks, residents of Norwich and local authority partners to deliver this vital project which will future-proof the city’s digital infrastructure.”

Peter Butler, Operations Director at Telec Networks, added: “We’re delighted to be CityFibre’s chosen build partner for this exciting full fibre rollout programme. This is a great opportunity for the local community, as well as businesses including homeworkers, as digital technology becomes increasingly integrated into our lives. The project will also create local employment, and we are already engaging with Norwich for jobs to support recruitment, as well as sourcing local suppliers for our supply chain.”

Unlike copper-based ‘fibre broadband’ services available today, full fibre networks use 100% fibre optic cables to carry data at lightning speed all the way from the home to the point of connection. This gives users consistently speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps for upload and download, near limitless bandwidth so everyone at home can work, study, stream or game simultaneously, while providing connectivity users can depend on.

Alan Waters, leader of Norwich City Council, said: “Norwich is an amazing place for people to live, work in and enjoy and investment in its digital future is paramount to achieving one of the five key ambitions in our 2040 vision for the city: a connected city.

“We’re so pleased to be working with CityFibre, Telec Networks and Charles to deliver this important project and are really looking forward to our residents and businesses taking advantage of the benefits it will bring.

“This project is an extremely important step forward as we seek to restore the local economy and support local businesses as part of our key priorities in our covid-19 recovery plan.”

As work is completed in each neighbourhood, internet service providers (ISPs) will ‘light up the network’ with some of the fastest and most competitive broadband packages available in terms of both data and price.

In Norwich, 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, 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, pre-register their interest and find out when new ISPs join at www.cityfibre.com/residential.

Meanwhile, Telec Networks is currently looking to recruit new members to its team to support the rollout programme, with 100 jobs set to be created during the life of the project. Local people interested in finding out more about job opportunities can register their interest at https://buildthenetwork.cityfibre.com/.