19000 Social Homes in Edinburgh to See Cityfibre 1Gbps Broadband

The City of Edinburgh Council and Cityfibre have today reached a new wayleave (access) agreement, which means that the operator’s 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) broadband network will be extended to include around 19,000 social housing properties. The service is being supported by UK ISP partner Vodafone.

At present Cityfibre already has a 150km long Dark Fibre network in the city, although this only serves local public sector sites and businesses. On top of that the operator is also investing £100m to build a new FTTH network (Amey is the contractor), which aims to cover the majority of Edinburgh over the next few years (this usually means 85% or more coverage).

However, until now there was no wayleave agreement in place to help them reach Edinburgh’s social housing, although thankfully that has now changed and this follows similar agreements elsewhere in Scotland, such as Stirling and Aberdeen (here).

In the future, the City of Edinburgh Council may also seek to use the new network to deploy Internet of Things (IoT) style devices, such as smart temperature sensors, moisture meters and alarms, which can capture environmental data and identify issues even before they become apparent to tenants.

Adam McVey, Council Leader, said:

“As a city we have huge digital ambitions and we’re already very well connected. Most of our schools, libraries and other community facilities are already experiencing the benefits of running at full fibre speeds. This next step is welcome as it means many more people in the city can benefit from this technology and our tenants can enjoy greater connectivity in their own homes, with all the additional opportunities that brings.”

Elaine Doherty, CityFibre’s City Manager for Edinburgh, said:

“It is fantastic to see The City of Edinburgh Council help tenants gain access to this transformative technology even faster. This will go a long way to widening digital access in the city, while we will also be working with tenants to ensure they can make the most of what full fibre has to offer. Our overall roll-out across Edinburgh continues to build momentum and we are excited about the city’s digital future and drive to ensure all citizens are digitally included.”

All of this should support Cityfibre’s wider £2.5bn investment drive, which aims to cover around 1 million homes across 12 UK cities and towns with Gigabit capable “full fibre” broadband by the end of 2021 (Phase One) and then 5 million premises across 37 cities and towns by the end of 2025 (here).

Vodafone (Gigafast Broadband) are currently Cityfibre’s main UK ISP for residential services, at least until each city build completes and then more providers can join (i.e. the end of exclusivity).