CityFibre Sign GBP5.6m Deal to Extend Fibre Optic Network in Edinburgh

Fibre optic developer Cityfibre has signed a new 7-year and £5.6 million deal (including an option to extend to 19 years and grow in value to £16m) with Edinburgh City Council that will see the operator construct a new 100km long Gigabit Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network extension in the city.

As a quick recap, Cityfibre are already in the process of building an “ultra-fast” pure fibre optic network in the capital city of Scotland (Edinburgh CORE), while the new 100km route represents an “extension” and one that should be completed within the next 12 months.

The network deployment, which is replacing the “expensive, capacity-constrained copper circuits provided as part of a long-term contract by BT“, will continue to be carried out with the help of local ISP Commsworld.

Apparently the contract, which is part of a wider £186 million outsourced ICT procurement for the council won by global ICT firm CGI, will create the “single largest pure fibre city roll-out” in the United Kingdom. Some 7,000 businesses are already expected to be put within reach of the network and that’s before this extension is included.

Greg Mesch, CEO of CityFibre, said:

“This is CityFibre’s largest contract to date and in such a prestigious city as Edinburgh, it is a landmark in our growth as a firm. In a matter of months, CityFibre’s partnership with Commsworld has begun a truly transformational infrastructure project in the city and as the world’s bandwidth consumption is set to triple in the next four years, Edinburgh is in an advantageous position to capitalise on the continued shift towards a digital economy.

This contract solidifies the power of our Gigabit City model and indicates the appetite from city leaders to embrace a new generation of infrastructure. In our Gigabit Cities, we are now a true infrastructure alternative to BT Openreach.”

Cllr Alasdair Rankin, Edinburgh City Council, said:

“In signing this contract we will transform the way we do business. One of the exciting things CGI will do through its chosen partners, including CityFibre and Commsworld, is speed up our move to greater online capability giving residents and businesses greater flexibility to engage with the Council and carry out their transactions digitally. This will make us a more efficient and effective organisation across our wide range of Council services.”

Precise details of the coverage / route for Cityfibre’s new network extension aren’t yet clear, although one of the areas touted as being able to benefit is The Gyle, which was not included in the first phase city-centre roll-out. Once finished the network extension will reach 294 council sites, including 137 schools.