CityFibre UK Complete Primary £30m FTTP Broadband Rollout in Ipswich

Network operator CityFibre, which has so far built their 2.5Gbps speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network to cover 4.4 million UK premises (4.2m Ready for Service), have today confirmed the completion of their “primary” £30 million build in the Suffolk (England) town of Ipswich.

The new full fibre network, which is being underpinned by Dark Fibre infrastructure that was constructed as part of a much earlier (separate) agreement to connect various public sector sites in the region, is now said to be ‘Ready for Service’ (RFS) to over 70,000 local homes, or around 98% of the town’s premises.

The deployment in the town first began all the way back in 2020 (here) and was originally expected to complete, at a cost of around £24m, by the autumn of 2022. But the work appears to have taken a lot longer and ended up costing more than first planned, although it has already reached further too.

CityFibre has so far laid over 870km of dense full fibre infrastructure across the town, although they will continue to explore opportunities to connect more homes and businesses, including flats, new-build homes, business parks and homes on private roads – the latter groups can often be more complicated to reach.

Neil Madle, Partnership Manager at CityFibre, said:

“Our rollout in Ipswich makes it one of the best-connected towns in the UK, unlocking incredible opportunities for residents and businesses alike. Having access to the UK’s best available full fibre network will transform how people work, learn and stay connected, while also boosting the local economy.

This investment future-proofs Ipswich’s digital infrastructure, ensuring the town remains competitive, innovative, and ready to embrace new opportunities in a rapidly evolving digital world.”

Neil MacDonald, Leader of Ipswich Borough Council, said:

“The completion of CityFibre’s full fibre network is fantastic news for our town. In an increasingly digital world, reliable, high-speed connectivity is now a necessity for residents, businesses and public services to thrive.

In 2023, 99.4% of Ipswich had access to Superfast Broadband – one of the highest in the UK – making Ipswich a great place for business and home working. This investment will further boost access, strengthening our local economy, creating new opportunities and ensuring Ipswich remains a competitive and attractive place to live and work. I am excited to see how this improved infrastructure will benefit our community for years to come.”

The operator’s main gigabit-capable broadband rivals in the town are Openreach and Virgin Media (inc. nexfibre), although Hyperoptic, OFNL (inc. Fibrenest) and others also have a small amount of network coverage too. In addition, Trooli is present nearby (e.g. Kesgrave), but largely stays out of the main town.

Otherwise, CityFibre, which has so far attracted 550,000 (March 2025) live customers and also expects to have upgraded their entire network to 10Gbps capable XGS-PON technology by mid-2025 (here), currently still aspires to cover up to 8 million UK premises with their new full fibre network (funded by c.£2.4bn in equity, c.£4.9bn debt and nearly £1bn of BDUK / public subsidy) – representing c.30% of the UK. But quite when they’ll reach that point is unclear.