£62m earmarked for broadband
CityFibre is set to invest £62million to allow nearly every home and business across Wearside to access next-generation broadband.
Sunderlandissettobenefit from the investment from CityFibre as part of plans to help replace the UK’s legacy copper networkswithgigabit-capable full fibre connectivity.
The state-of-the-art infrastructure will see nearly every home and business on Wearside have access to some of the country’s fastest broadband services.
Planning is already under way as CityFibre designs a network capable of serving Sunderland’s current and future demands and once completed, it will provide a platform for a new generation of “smart city” applications and the rollout of 5G mobile services.
Set to commence from the middle of this year, once the network is live, services will be available from an increasing range of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to deliver next generation broadband services.
Jason Legget, the city manager at CityFibre is leading the Sunderland project, he revealed that the company is working with the local authority to improve Wearside’s digital infrastructure.
Mr Legget said: “It’s exciting to look to the future and what our £62million Sunderland Full Fibre network build investment will bring.
“We are working in close partnership with Sunderland City Council to transform the area’s digital infrastructure, ensuringthatthedigitalneeds of those working and living in the region are met now, and in the future.”
Welcoming the announcement, Patrick Melia, Chief Executive at Sunderland City Council, said: “The last 12 months have seen real progressacrossoursmartcity,culminating in Sunderland being crownedSmartCityoftheYear 2020intheDigitalLeaders100 List.
"Accolades such as this are getting Sunderland noticed as a serious player globally as a digital leader with opportunities for investment, whilst firmly positioning our fantasticcityasahealthy,happyplace to live, work and play.
“Theannouncementofthis huge investment from our valued partners at CityFibre will continue our citywide digital transformation,advancingopportunities for our residents, businesses, educators and healthcare providers through atrulytransformativefullfibre network.”
Councilleader,CllrGraeme Miller,saidthattheinvestment willpresentsignificiantopportunities to businesses.
He said: “We are a city on an exciting journey. The next chapter in our drive to continuously improve quality of life and business prospects will be underpinned by this incredible investment by CityFibre.
“Full fibre broadband will help households across Sunderland to access the internet atarapidspeedtheyhaven’texperienced before, better enabling the integration of smart home technology to assist working from home, as well as a raft of business gains.
"This investment represents significant opportunities to drive efficiencies and innovationtohelpSunderlandbased businesses to gain a real competitive edge.
“Todaywecelebrateamajor milestoneinfulfillingourbold vision and ambitious plans for the city, with the implementation of a full fibre network to reach almost every home and business across Sunderland, empowering our local economy to grow for generations to come.”