CityFibre’s Swindon FTTP Broadband Build Adds 10,000 Social Homes

CityFibre’s existing £40m project to deploy a 1Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across the Wiltshire town of Swindon, which began in late 2020 (here), has been boosted by a new deal with the Swindon Borough Council (SBC). As a result, the network will be expanded to include 10,000 council managed homes.

The development is thanks to the signing of a blanket wayleave (legal access to land/property) agreement, which gives CityFibre permission to connect all Swindon Borough Council properties to the new network it is building. The entire build across the town is now expected to complete at some point in 2024.

The rollout forms part of the operator’s wider £4bn investment programme, which has already covered 1 million UK premises with FTTP and aims to have 8 million “substantially completed” – across 285 cities, towns and villages (c.30% of the UK) – by the end of 2025 (here). This will also cover a total of around 800,000 businesses, 400,000 public sector sites and 250,000 5G access points.

Sanjay Sudra, CityFibre’s Strategic Wayleave Manager, said:

“This agreement has been many months in planning and would not have come to fruition if it wasn’t for the dedication and support of key CityFibre and Swindon Borough Council staff. Their hard work will provide tenants in Swindon with access to next-generation broadband, serving up benefits for years to come. Congratulations all involved!”

The operator has also signed a number of similar deals with other councils around the UK, and more will no doubt follow in the future. Such deals make it easier and more cost-effective to expand their network, although the operator hasn’t said precisely how much progress has already been made in the town.