CityFibre Link 220 New Public Sector Sites to Peterborough FTTP Network

CityFibre has announced that their 90km long fibre optic (FTTP) broadband network in the city of Peterborough (East England), which was completed over one year ago and originally only intended to connect 107 public sector sites, has now received an order to connect another 220.

Apparently the new Peterborough CORE connected sites include CCTV cameras, WiFi connections and a network of Information Traffic System locations. Cityfibre states that by migrating these sites, most of which exist on legacy BT (Openreach) supplied connections, the Council will both increase its technical capabilities and reduce their operating costs.

For example, the new sites will enable the Council to introduce High-Definition CCTV and WiFi based cameras that can be moved around in place of fixed point cameras. In the future it may also be possible to use the same network as a capacity source for 4G and 5G mobile expansions via small cell deployments.

John Harrison, CorporateBoss at Peterborough Council, said:

“This investment in extending our city’s fibre network will further enhance Peterborough’s reputation as a Gigabit City. These new access points will enable us to improve our CCTV and traffic management solutions while allowing for future roll-outs of citywide Wi-Fi and future proofing the city for future developments in a world of the Internet of Things and Smart Cities.

It is no secret that we are well on our way to being one of the world’s top ‘smart cities’ after being crowned Smart City of the Year 2015. Our partnership with CityFibre is just one of the many ways we are investing in growth, innovation, skills and sustainability with the goal of making Peterborough a better place to invest, work and live.”

Greg Mesch, CEO of CityFibre, added:

“Peterborough City Council and the city as a whole have grasped the Gigabit City vision and made it their own. They have exploited a fit-for-purpose digital infrastructure to revolutionize the way they deliver public services and making their city more competitive and attractive to investment. With businesses also experiencing the benefits of gigabit speed services, Peterborough has become a model for a true Gigabit City.”

The network is also being used to connect local businesses and apparently “hundreds” are already using the service, although they don’t give an exact figure. The original PR spin noted that Cityfibre’s network would be put within reach of over 4,000 businesses, which equates to about 80% of the city’s firms.