Cov one of first cities to benefit from ultrafast broadband

NEW ultrafast broadband is being rolled out across the UK, and Coventry is set to be one of the first cities to benefit.

Vodafone and CityFibre had previously announced the first cities to benefit from the £315m project, and today revealed that Coventry is one of four cities to receive the gigabit-capable full fibre broadband as part of the next wave of installation.

When completed, Coventry customers will receive significantly speedier broadband.

With Coventry, Edinburgh, Huddersfield and Stirling joining the already announced Milton Keynes, Peterborough and Aberdeen, over half a million homes and businesses across the seven cities will see the change.

With ultrafast broadband you can download an HD movie in around five minutes; it would take nearly an hour with standard broadband.

According to Vodafone, by using fibreoptic cables for every stage of the connection from the customer’s home or business to the Internet, users will be offered a significantly superior and more reliable broadband service, capable of Gigabit speeds (1,000 Mbps).

Vodafone will use CityFibre’s network to bring Vodafone Gigafast Broadband to customers.

Detailed city-wide planning is already underway, and CityFibre are working with Coventry City Council to co-ordinate the build.

Nick Jeffery, Vodafone’s UK Chief Executive said: “I’m delighted to welcome everyone living in Coventry, Edinburgh, Huddersfield and Stirling to the full fibre club, with a broadband service like no other.

“After five months we are well on track with the joint Gigafast broadband programme that will help position the UK as a world leading digital centre.” A Vodafone spokesperson has confirmed that the first premises are expected to be connected in the first half of 2019. They said: “Vodafone will offer consumers and business a full fibre connection to replace their existing old and unreliable BT copper telephone line they have to put up with today. We’re yet to set pricing but it will be competitive compared with existing home broadband services and priced to encourage people to switch to the far superior gigafast broadband service.”

Cllr Jim O’Boyle, Coventry City Council ‘s Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration, said: “An investment of this size shows great confidence in the city and having a reliable, gigabit broadband service will be another way to attract and retain businesses to Coventry.

“With the growing importance and reliance on digital technology, the opportunity of having the benefits of full fibre will soon be available to everyone who lives and works in our city.”

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Fast internet is vital for a modern economy. Businesses need to communicate quickly and share data around the world.

“But in the West Midlands we have a mixed picture, with some of the fastest speeds and some of the slowest.

“I made working with the private sector to drive up broadband speeds a priority and am really pleased that Coventry is to become the focus of the next Vodafone and CityFibre roll-out.”

Residential and business customers in Coventry, Edinburgh, Huddersfield and Stirling can pre-register for the service.