CityFibre’s Full Fibre Network to Fuel Sunderland’s 5G Small Cells

The Sunderland City Council (SCC) and BAI Communications have today chosen CityFibre’s new “full fibre” broadband and Ethernet network in the city to provide data capacity for a new 5G small cell mobile network, which aims to provide a platform for local business growth and innovation.

Last year the SCC announced that they’d awarded BAI a 20-year strategic partnership to, among other things, build and operate a new “private” 5G small cell mobile network across parts of the city – based on a “neutral host model” – by Summer 2022. The aim of this is to serve sectors including manufacturing and logistics, education and social care.

At the same time we know that CityFibre, which also has a Dark Fibre style network present in the area, is separately investing £62 million to rollout a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network to serve local homes and businesses across the coastal city.

Suffice to say, CityFibre’s network has now been tapped to help supply the data capacity for the new small cell network.

Jason Legget, Regional Partnership Director, CityFibre, said:

“We’re thrilled to be working with BAI and Sunderland City Council, who have truly embraced the potential of Full Fibre, with a robust plan in place to become a genuine UK leader in smart city technology.

At CityFibre, we design Full Fibre networks capable of serving everything from homes and businesses to mobile sites and community spaces. Leveraging our networks to underpin its dense 5G rollout enables BAI and Sunderland City Council to unleash a host of exciting benefits for the city and its citizens.”

Andrew Conway, BAI Comms UK Director of Solutions and Innovation, said:

“We are delighted to work with CityFibre, to help drive our Smart City Project in Sunderland. The technology will connect the 5G Small Cells network, providing high speed next generation connectivity to deliver transformative digital services for communities and businesses across the city. This partnership is the vital next step in unlocking the benefits of the new network to accelerate Sunderland’s ambitions to become one of the UK’s most advanced smart cities.”

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