CityFibre

Some of Europe’s most recognisable full fibre wholesale-only and open access operators recently met in Rome in presence of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) chair, Johannes Gungl; and director general of FTTH Council Europe, Erzsebet Fitori. The group gathered to discuss the future of the telecommunications market and explore opportunities to accelerate the deployment and take-up of full fibre infrastructure across Europe.

The government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has published the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review (FTIR), which it says sets clear, ambitious targets when it comes to full fibre and 5G networks.

The UK has fallen to 35^th place in the global broadband speed delivery rankings, compared with 31^st place in 2017. This is according to the latest data gathered and published by research group M-Lab and UK broadband comparison site Cable.co.uk.

The High Court has granted CityFibre permission to proceed with its judicial review of the UK Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) decision on how the term ‘fibre’ is used in broadband advertising. The ASA now has 35 days to prepare a counter case, and the full judicial review is expected to be heard later this summer.

MLL Telecom has partnered with CityFibre to offer businesses in Stirling a gigabit boost, providing next-generation internet services over a new, purpose built full fibre network.

The new commercial sector offering from MLL Telecom – FibreConnect – is being rolled out to give local businesses the chance to benefit from dedicated full fibre broadband capable of gigabit speeds. CityFibre, has already installed 24km of network, which connects most of Stirling city’s public sector estate including schools, libraries and community venues.

UK Chancellor, Philip Hammond announced in his speech at the annual Confederation of British Industry (CBI) dinner a pledge to make full fibre to the premises (FTTP) connections available to most homes and businesses by 2025 as part of the government’s Modern Industrial Strategy.

UK-based alternative fibre network provider, CityFibre has agreed the terms of a recommended cash acquisition by Bidco.

Newly incorporated company, Bidco – which is indirectly owned by a consortium including private equity house Antin and Goldman Sachs’ West Street Infrastructure Partners – is paying 81p per share for CityFibre in a deal worth £537.8 million.

CityFibre has filed for a judicial review of the UK’s advertising watchdog, the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA), 2017 ruling, which approved the continued use of the term ‘fibre’ to describe services delivered over copper-based networks.

The builder, owner, and operator of fibre-optic infrastructure argues that the research and logic that led to the ASA’s decision was fundamentally flawed and that the watchdog has not only permitted, but also encouraged internet service providers to continue to mislead consumers.

Aberdeen is set to become Scotland's first gigabit-speed fibre broadband city following an extended partnership between Vodafone and CityFibre to introduce a gigabit-capable full fibre broadband network under the two companies’ fibre to the premises (FTTP) programme. CityFibre will invest at least £40 million of private funds in the city-wide roll-out, after which nearly every home and business will be able to access to gigabit-speed broadband.

Milton Keynes is set to become the first community to benefit from gigabit-capable ‘full fibre’ broadband under the new Vodafone and CityFibre fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) programme. The project will see CityFibre invest at least £40 million into the city’s digital infrastructure.