More homes and businesses in Ipswich have been brought into range of full-fibre communications, with work underway to bring fast broadband to more properties in the north-west of the town.

Infrastructure company CityFibre is also preparing to extend the project to the north-east of the town.

The roll-out of full fibre infrastructure to nearly every home and business in Ipswich is gaining momentum. Work is well underway in Castle Hill and the Dales Road area, as CityFibre’s presence continues to grow.

Ipswich is among the first towns in the UK to benefit from CityFibre’s Gigabit City investment programme, which is set to invest up to £4bn nationally - £30m in Ipswich - to bring future proof, gigabit speed digital infrastructure to up to eight million homes across the UK.

The network is not yet live, but once activated services will be available from an increasing range of broadband providers. Across the UK, CityFibre is already working with launch partner, Vodafone, to deliver next generation broadband services, with TalkTalk expected to join the network soon.  

VolkerSmart Technologies is delivering the construction programme on CityFibre’s behalf. As key workers, CityFibre has been asked by the UK government to continue to expand the nation’s digital capacity. All contractors are being urged to follow the social distancing protocols as outlined by Public Health England to ensure the build partners’ safety.

Charles Kitchin, CityFibre’s City Manager for Ipswich, said: “Since work began in February, we have seen great progress in our mission to bring reliable, high capacity, gigabit-capable broadband within reach of nearly every home and business in Ipswich.

“While the current situation is not without its challenges, we are highly motivated to maintain progress and serve our community with world-class digital infrastructure that will support home-workers in their day-to-day lives and provide fast, reliable broadband services for residents - enabling them to stay connected with loved ones and access online entertainment and services with ease.

“We are also working closely with our local authority partners as we move into new areas of the city and will do all that we possibly can to manage disruption and minimise the time we spend in each location.”