Work has got underway to bring full-fibre digital connectivity in reach of almost every home and business in Bath, with CityFibre breaking ground in the Weston area of the city.
Neil Madle, CityFibre’s City Manager for Bath
The independent platform is investing £25 million in a city-wide network that will future-proof Bath’s digital needs for generations to come.
Along with its build partner, Kier Group, CityFibre is working in partnership with Bath & North East Somerset Council and local communities to deliver a fast rollout while minimising 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.
CityFibre has said it will be in touch with residents by post ahead of work starting.
The overall project is expected to reach completion by 2023 but 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 begin delivering some of the fastest broadband packages available in the country.
In Bath, services are not yet live but will be available from a range of broadband providers.
Across the UK, CityFibre is already working with launch partner Vodafone to deliver next-generation broadband services, with TalkTalk and other providers expected to join the network soon.
People interested in giving their home broadband a boost should enter their location in CityFibre’s postcode checker to see when they will be connected.
They can also submit their details to be kept up to date on progress and discover who they can get gigabit services from once their street is connected.
Neil Madle, CityFibre’s City Manager for Bath, said: “Bath is a historic city most often associated with the likes of Jane Austen and its Roman Baths, but it’s also a forward-looking area with one of the fastest growing tech economies in the UK.
“I’m immensely proud to see work getting underway in Bath today as it means businesses and residents will soon have access to the best infrastructure available. It’s important to remember that any short-term disruption will pay off tremendously in the long-term.
“Once the network’s built, it will serve the community’s connectivity needs for decades to come and underpin the city’s digital ambitions.”
Full fibre networks, unlike many of the copper-based ‘fibre broadband’ services available today, use 100% fibre optic cables to carry data 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 and near limitless bandwidth.
Councillor Richard Samuel, deputy Leader and cabinet member for Resources and Economic Development at Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “It is fantastic that CityFibre is now ready to start delivering its £25m infrastructure investment programme in Bath, providing a citywide network that will benefit residents, businesses and services.
“This is a once in a generation upgrade that will future-proof our network infrastructure at a time when connectivity has never been so important.
“Access to fast reliable broadband is vital to the recovery of the local economy, enabling local businesses to attract the best talent and more residents to access or return to employment through flexible working.”
