York to enjoy major economic boost worth £357m from CityFibre’s Full Fibre rollout

A new report commissioned by CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent carrier-neutral Full Fibre platform, has identified that York stands to be a huge beneficiary from the rollout of future-proof Full Fibre infrastructure.

The findings come as the rollout continues to accelerate throughout the city, with a choice of internet service providers (ISPs) – Vodafone, TalkTalk, Giganet, IDNET, No One, Hyperfiber – now available and additional providers such as Zen expected to join the network soon.

The study by the consultancy Hatch, (Economic Impact of Full Fibre Infrastructure from CityFibre’s Network), estimates that, over a fifteen-year period, the positive impacts of CityFibre’s multi-million pound investment in York will include £207m in productivity and innovation gains, £45m from a widened workforce, £7m in Local Authority efficiency savings and £143m in increased housing value.

Technological benefits are also a major focus of the report, which demonstrates that CityFibre’s Full Fibre network in York will help to unlock £492m in gross added value (GVA) from 5G services, £131m from the Internet of Things and £87m from Smart City initiatives, such as intelligent traffic management systems and street lighting.

Kim Johnston, Regional Partnership Director at CityFibre, said: “The report demonstrates just how powerful and essential Full Fibre is as a catalyst for growth and a platform for innovation and investment. This really is such an exciting time for residents in the city who have a rare opportunity to choose from a range of ISPs and access some of the best broadband packages available.

“We’re extremely proud of our rollout in York, which is now one of our most mature builds, and we look forward to seeing how the network will benefit residents and businesses over the decades to come.”

Cllr Nigel Ayre, Executive Member for Finance and Performance, City of York Council, said: “In recent years, York has seen significant public and private sector investment in our digital infrastructure, delivering a wide range of benefits to local residents and businesses. The city is more connected than ever before, meaning we have all been able to work from home effectively, carry out day to day tasks online, stream the latest TV and much more. At the same time, this investment has created more jobs, improved council services and made our incredible city an even more attractive place to live, work and invest.

“This report is further evidence of the positive impact of being a digital city and that our work with partners is having a significant impact on the lives of residents and businesses. We are proud to have been seen as the UK’s first gigabit city and it is pleasing that this investment continues to be made so that we can deliver gigabit speeds to more of the city and make sure that communities are connected.”

Residents interested in giving their home broadband a boost can find out more about the build and check whether services are live by visiting here: https://cityfibre.com/homes