UK full-fiber network CityFibre has awarded the build partners for the first of its 4 planned rollouts under the government’s GBP5 billion (US$6,117 million) Building Digital UK Project Gigabit scheme.

CityFibre has appointed Granemore Group in Cambridgeshire, OCU Group and CCN Communications in Hampshire, OCU Group in Norfolk, and Telelink, OCU Group, and Granemore Group in Suffolk. These appointments pave the way for CityFibre to initiate the initial construction phase in each location. The first homes covered by the rollout will be in Cambridgeshire, with an expected launch in October 2023.

The four Project Gigabit contracts, awarded to CityFibre through a competitive process and amounting to GBP387 million (US$473 million) in government support, will be supplemented by an additional private investment of GBP223 million (US$273 million) from CityFibre. This combined investment in the project surpasses half a billion pounds. CityFibre's expansive full-fiber network now spans over 3 million premises, with more than 2.7 million Ready For Service. The company continues its comprehensive full-fiber network expansion, with the aim of reaching up to a third of the UK.

All of CityFibre's deployments now incorporate the latest full-fiber technology, known as XGS-PON, enabling CityFibre's Internet Service Provider Customers to provide residences and businesses access to faster and more dependable services. Presently, speeds of up to 2.5Gbps are available, which is 35 times faster than the UK's average, and the potential exists to deliver speeds of up to 10Gbps in the future.