Works to begin on £30m project to bring high speed internet to Peterborough

Thousands of householders across Peterborough could face disruption as work starts on a £30 million project to bring high speed internet access to their homes.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Apr 2018, 12:32 BST
Updated 6th Apr 2018, 12:36 BST
From left, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough James Palmer and Peterborough City Council leader Coun John Holdich with Guilhem Poussot (Vodafone), Andy Starnes, of City Fibre, and Rob Hanalin of City Fibre.From left, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough James Palmer and Peterborough City Council leader Coun John Holdich with Guilhem Poussot (Vodafone), Andy Starnes, of City Fibre, and Rob Hanalin of City Fibre.
From left, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough James Palmer and Peterborough City Council leader Coun John Holdich with Guilhem Poussot (Vodafone), Andy Starnes, of City Fibre, and Rob Hanalin of City Fibre.

Work to lay miles of full-fibre cables under pavements in most city streets is expected to start next month with the first homes going live in January next year and the work completed by June 2021.

Residents are being told that any disruption will be kept to a minimum with the latest machinery used to put down the cables.

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Andy Starnes, head of city development for CityFibre, which is carrying out the work, said slimline machinery will be used to dig a narrow channel in pavements to hold the ducting through which the fibre cables will run.

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He said: “The trenches will go past driveway entrances but residents need not worry, they will be covered until the work is done and residents will be able to drive over them.

“As we pass each property, we install a small connection box into the pavemment - about the size of a mobile phone. Then when a resident takes a service, we just extend the fibre from the connection box into their home.”

The investment is the result of a new partnership between CityFibre and Vodafone to deliver Gigabit capable full-fibre broadband to five million UK homes and business by 2025.

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Greg Mesch, chief executive at CityFibre, said: “Peterborough is the perfect demonstration of the benefits a third competitive digital infrastructure brings the UK market.”

Councillor John Holdich, leader of Peterborough City Council, said: “We have worked closely with CityFibre for years to develop and expand the reach of their full- fibre network. It has become a platform for our Smart City initiatives, helps us attract businesses and develop our emerging tech sector. With this extension of the project, the full benefits will soon be felt by everyone who lives and works in the city.”

CityFibre began work in Peterborough in 2013 and has invested £9 million plus and installed 120 kilometres of full-fibre cable. The network is used by 486 sites, including 150 businesses as well as schools, council offices, CCTV cameras and traffic signals.

Related topics:PeterboroughWorkResidentsJohn Holdich