CityFibre’s Eastbourne FTTP Broadband Build Tops 30,000 Premises

Network operator CityFibre, which has so far extended their 2.5Gbps speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network to cover 3.6 million UK premises (3.3m RFS), has revealed that their £26m deployment in the coastal East Sussex town of Eastbourne has now reached 30,000 premises. But a firm completion date remains unclear.

The deployment in Eastbourne, which began all the way back in late 2020 (here), has had its fair share of contractor woes (example) and changes, although CityFibre have still managed to reach most of the town. The most recently completed areas include Sovereign Harbour, Friday Street and Langney, and the rollout will now move into Meads, Roselands and further parts of Old Town.

However, despite the progress, it’s worth noting that the operator faces competition from a number of gigabit-capable broadband rivals. In particular, both Openreach and Lightning Fibre have long since covered the town with their own FTTP networks.

Adrian Smith, CityFibre’s Partnership Manager for East Sussex, said:

“Our Eastbourne build is at an exciting stage, as even more residents are now able to take advantage of unparalleled digital connectivity. We are grateful to the local community for their continued support and patience whilst we roll out this huge digital upgrade. Once completed, the state-of-the-art digital infrastructure will future-proof the town for decades to come. We can’t wait to see how it will benefit Eastbourne in terms of productivity, innovation and new investment in the years ahead.”

CityFibre currently aspires to cover up to 8 million UK premises with their new FTTP network (funded by c.£2.4bn in equity, c.£4.9bn debt and c.£800m of BDUK subsidy) – across over 285 cities, towns and villages (c.30% of the UK). But it remains unclear precisely when this will be achieved. The original goal was for the end of 2025, although their current build + M&A plan may get them up to c.6m (if it all goes well).