Peterborough City Council connects 220 new sites onto Gigabit City network

Less than two years after CityFibre began construction on its Gigabit City network, Peterborough City Council has trebled its utilisation of the pure fibre infrastructure with an order for a further 220 new sites via its ICT Managed Service Provider Serco. The sites comprise CCTV cameras, Wi-Fi connections and a network of Information Traffic System locations. By migrating these sites from legacy connections on BT Openreach to CityFibre’s pure fibre network, the Council will not only increase its technical capabilities, but reduce operating costs. Once connected, the new sites will enable the Council to introduce High-Definition CCTV and Wi-Fi based cameras that can be moved around in place of fixed point cameras. With increasing reliance on CCTV for security and traffic management purposes, movable HD cameras represent an invaluable upgrade to their capabilities. By leveraging the unlimited capacity of a pure fibre network, the technology can be easily accommodated without an increase in costs – something that is impossible on traditional copper networks operated by incumbents. Moreover, the network architecture employed by CityFibre in reaching the street furniture associated with the CCTV and traffic control locations is identical to that required in future 4G and 5G wireless small cell deployments. CityFibre’s 37 city footprint can thus serve as the foundation of large scale small cell deployments across a significant portion of the UK. The Peterborough Gigabit City network now comprises in excess of 90km of pure fibre and duct infrastructure built originally to connect 107 public sector sites including schools, council buildings and health sites. Like all CityFibre’s infrastructure projects, the network was made available on a wholesale basis, enabling ISPs to offer local businesses with affordable gigabit speed internet services. Hundreds of businesses throughout the city are already connected. John Harrison, Corporate Director for Resources at Peterborough City Council said: “This investment in extending our city’s fibre network will further enhance Peterborough’s reputation as a Gigabit City. These new access points will enable us to improve our CCTV and traffic management solutions while allowing for future roll-outs of citywide Wi-Fi and future proofing the city for future developments in a world of the Internet of Things and Smart Cities. "It is no secret that we are well on our way to being one of the world's top 'smart cities' after being crowned Smart City of the Year 2015. Our partnership with CityFibre is just one of the many ways we are investing in growth, innovation, skills and sustainability with the goal of making Peterborough a better place to invest, work and live." Greg Mesch, Chief Executive of CityFibre said: “Peterborough City Council and the city as a whole have grasped the Gigabit City vision and made it their own. They have exploited a fit-for-purpose digital infrastructure to revolutionise the way they deliver public services and making their city more competitive and attractive to investment. With businesses also experiencing the benefits of gigabit speed services, Peterborough has become a model for a true Gigabit City. Notably, the architecture we’re deploying in Peterborough is identical to that required by future 4G and 5G small cell deployments, and our extensive footprint thus provides a solid foundation for small cell deployments across a significant portion of the UK.” A team from Peterborough City Council will be attending the LGA annual conference in Bournemouth between 5 and 7 July. The team will be showcasing the CityFibre project so to find out more pay a visit to Stand P57.