Internet provider TalkTalk is expanding its full fibre broadband programme to Ipswich after partnering with CityFibre and Openreach.
Works led by CityFibre have continued across the town since February 2020, with the company looking to see Ipswich become a "gigabit city" when works complete in 2022.
The three companies are aiming to bring "fibre to the premises" broadband across the town – meaning a full fibre connection will be used from the exchange all the way to their home.
Currently, much of the town uses a mix of fibre and copper cables, with fibre leading only as far as a street cabinet. Companies to make use of the network so far include Zen, which joined the network earlier this year.
TalkTalk said its expansion in Ipswich will see its Fibre 500 customers receive average top speeds of 506Mb/s.
Overall, the CityFibre works – projected to cost around £35m in the Ipswich area – aim to bring speeds of up to 900Mb/s.
The works have caused contention across the town however, with roadworks causing significant disruptions on some routes – although CityFibre city manager Charles Kitchin insists the short-term disruptions are worth the long-term gain.
Jonathan Kini, managing director of TalkTalk Direct Business and Consumer, said: “We believe fast, affordable, full fibre broadband should be accessible to all.
"This has been brought into even sharper focus by culture changes resulting from the pandemic.
"We’re thrilled that people across Ipswich can now benefit from the UK’s latest fibre technology thanks to our new Future Fibre packages.”
Mr Kitchin added: “We are delighted to be working with TalkTalk to offer people the opportunity to access the full fibre network we have been building in Ipswich.
"We have made real strides in bringing state-of-the-art digital connectivity to homes since beginning our build and look forward to even more homes having access to fast and reliable digital connectivity in the future.”
Keiran Wines, Openreach regional partnership director, said plans to expand full fibre connectivity to the east of England would benefit the region's economy by £5.4bn.
"We’re proud to be supporting TalkTalk with access to our network," Mr Wines added.
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