High-speed pure fibre connectivity coming to Reading says CityFibre

CityFibre continues to take the broadband fight to BT

Telecoms provider CityFibre will install 30km of pure fibre communications cables in Reading aspart of an ambitious rollout of fibre to towns and cities around the UK including Bristol, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The firm has partnered with local communications supplier BtL to help deliver services over the new infrastructure. BtL managing director Rob Lamden explained that the network will help meet the demand for better broadband in Reading.

"We have observed demand for ultra-fast services grow exponentially in recent years, and this project has the potential to unlock a tide of demand for faster, more resilient and more affordable services," he said.

"Businesses can now stop concerning themselves with bandwidth restrictions and instead optimise their operations, improving their experience and driving the bottom line."

The plans were officially unveiled today at Reading's Madjeski Stadium, where CityFibre CEO Greg Mesch (pictured) claimed that the network will have a huge impact on Reading, especially for its smart city ambitions.

"Our network is designed to accommodate Reading's current and future digital needs, from connecting public sector sites, schools and hospitals to powering the masts and small cells needed to deliver 4G and even 5G mobile coverage," he said.

The rollout underlines CityFibre's ongoing push to build a major fibre network across the UK. The company already boasts connections to 26,000 public sites such as schools and libraries, 260,000 businesses, 3.7 million homes and 7,400 mobile masts.

Earlier this year Mesch that the company's push is vital for the future of the UK's connectivity as a rival to Openreach, as fibre is more sustainable for the future digital needs of the nation than copper networks.

"Most of the population has been hoodwinked into thinking that BT is rolling out fibre when what they're really doing is rolling out fibre-to-the-cabinet and then copper to the last mile, so speeds are limited," he said.