Cityfibre Confirms Town of Bracknell to Become its Next UK “Gigabit City”

Cityfibre has today announced that the Berkshire town and civil parish of Bracknell will become their next “Gigabit City“, which means that an existing fibre optic network in the area is being re-purposed in order to supply local businesses with 1Gbps capable / FTTP style broadband.

Apparently businesses in the town will soon have the opportunity to access ultra-fast Internet connectivity via Cityfibre’s launch partner, business ISP BtL Communications. Once again this reflects a network that was acquired at the end of 2015 when Cityfibre splurged £90m to gobble up KCOM’s network assets across the United Kingdom (here).

Rob Hamlin, Cityfibre’s Commercial Director, said:

“We are delighted to extend our existing partnership with BtL to transform Bracknell’s digital landscape. The Thames Valley is an economic powerhouse and it is important that this growing region has the best connectivity possible to enable it to remain competitive on a global stage. This is what we aim to provide here at CityFibre, transformational infrastructure to boost local business.”

Rob Lamden, Managing Director of BtL, added:

“We have been helping businesses in the region with their IT, telecoms and internet connectivity since 2001 and we are very pleased to be working with CityFibre to make a real difference to the region’s digital landscape. We are now able to offer local businesses next-generation internet services at highly competitive prices that will turbocharge their capabilities and give them a huge head-start over the competition. And of course BtL will be alongside them to support their growth and to help them take full advantage.”

As usual Cityfibre’s update contains no information about the actual network coverage, although business connectivity like this is usually done via an on-demand / request basis. However an event is due to take place on Wednesday 16th November at the Hilton Hotel in Bracknell, where local firms and public sector organisations will have a chance to learn more about what’s on offer.

One challenge that Cityfibre will face is that Openreach (BT) and Virgin Media’s superfast broadband networks are both present in the town, with FTTC in particular having a very high level of availability. Admittedly this won’t work for every business, but it does make life a little harder for Cityfibre, particularly at the small business end of the market where cheaper solutions are desired.