Leicester, Nottingham face faster future with 1Gbps CityFibre broadband
Businesses in Leicester and Nottingham now have the opportunity to grab gigabit broadband from full-fibre provider CityFibre, which has finished installing mega-fast networks across both cities.
Over 5,000 firms across the two cities will have access to speeds of up to 1Gbps, three times faster than the most widely-available fast cable broadband.
CityFibre said it focused on adding the two Midlands cities to its ‘Gigabit Cities’ network because of their fast-growing digital sectors.
FAQ: What is ‘full-fibre’ broadband?
Full-fibre broadband, which uses only fibre-optic cables to transmit data rather than a mixture of fibre and copper, is only available to around 2% of UK homes and businesses.
Invest Nottingham’s Chief Executive Brendan Moffett said: “Nottingham is the fastest-growing city in the East Midlands and Gigabit City status is another step in supporting the city as a major centre for tech development and business excellence.”
The new network doesn’t yet have a public switch-on date.
But CityFibre estimate that businesses will get access by the end of autumn this year. Telecoms provider Onecom will run the Leicester and Nottingham sales after impressing with its service in two other Gigabit Cities, Southend and Coventry.
Gigabit connections across Leicester will be available to around 2,000 businesses between Ratby Lane in the west and Humberstone Road in the east, via Dane Hills, Frog Island and the City Centre, including the University of Leicester.
Across Nottingham, up to 3,000 businesses between Wollaton and Carlton are within reach of the new infrastructure. This includes those based in Arnold, Daybrook, Woodthorpe, Forest Fields, Hyson Green, Nottingham Trent University, Queens Medical Centre, West Bridgford and Clifton Boulevard.
CityFibre say the investment will not only supercharge the region’s tech start-ups, but will also future-proof Leicester and Nottingham to make way for smart city innovations like smart street lights, high-definition CCTV and complex data modelling to improve traffic flow.
Leicester businesses can register here, while companies in Nottingham can register here.
MAIN IMAGE: Matt Preston/Flickr
