Nexfibre to Cover 1,000 UK Youth Centres with 2Gbps Fibre Broadband

Network operator nexfibre, which shares some of their parentage with retail ISP partner Virgin Media (VMO2) and has so far extended their FTTP broadband network to over 1.3 million premises, has today announced a new partnership with charity, UK Youth, to connect “as many as 1,000 youth centres across the UK” to its new network “free of charge“.

The deal, which is being supported by Virgin Media (O2), will provide each centre with broadband speeds of up to 2Gbps for “the next two years“. The goal being to provide young people with the connectivity they need to boost their life chances. Not to mention that more than half a million young people in the UK do not have access to essential learning devices and reliable internet connections at home.

According to the blurb, for every pound that the taxpayer invests in youth work, the return on investment is said to be between £3 to £6 (here). Investment in youth work is “proven to reduce unemployment, increase educational attainment and push down crime“, building a more skilled and inclusive workforce.

Rajiv Datta, CEO of nexfibre, said:

“We deeply care about delivering high quality broadband to everyone across the country, especially those in left behind communities and from disadvantaged backgrounds. Full fibre broadband is a crucial driver of economic growth, enabling better access to education, jobs, and opportunities that can transform lives and uplift entire communities.

This is why we have partnered with UK Youth, and collaborated with Virgin Media O2, to bring this essential digital infrastructure to centres nationwide. By investing in the digital future of these communities and the next generation, we are not just closing the digital divide – we are fuelling the economic growth that will power the UK’s future.”

Just for some context. Back in 2022 Telefónica, Liberty Global and InfraVia Capital Partners setup nexfibre as a new £4.5bn joint venture (here), which aims to deploy an open access full fibre network to reach “up to” 7 million UK homes (starting with 5m by 2026) in areas NOT served by Virgin Media’s own network of 16m+ premises. The funding reflects £3.3bn of fully underwritten financing and up to £1.4bn in equity commitments.