CityFibre has announced that Dundee and Glasgow are set to benefit from the roll-out of full fibre broadband services through its £4 billion Gigabit City Investment Programme.
The firm said the new future-proof network will support the digital needs of homes, businesses, mobile networks and public services “for generations” while driving sustainable and inclusive economic growth across Scotland.
CityFibre already has network construction projects underway in 16 towns and cities across the UK, with gigabit-speed services live in 11. Its Gigabit City Investment Programme aims to target up to eight million premises in the UK and provide high-speed services.
In an acceleration of these plans, CityFibre will award more than £1.5 billion in network construction contracts for the newly-announced projects. Awards will be granted by July and will enable selected partners to prepare for construction to begin by the end of 2020.
The national roll-out could create more than 5,000 construction jobs across the UK and stimulate local economic growth in the region of £85 billion.
Commenting on the announcement, Paul Wheelhouse MSP, minister for energy, connectivity and the islands, said: “This is very welcome news from CityFibre as it announces further commercial full fibre roll-outs in Scotland which compliment the Scottish Government’s target of ensuring access to a minimum of superfast broadband for each and every premises in Scotland.
“Infrastructure and connectivity are fundamental to creating digitally-enabled growth in our economy. Commercial investment plays a vital role in supporting digital connectivity in Scotland. We want to create an environment that sees Scotland regarded as the best place to invest in telecoms anywhere in the UK; an environment that encourages and promotes commercial investment.”
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Greg Mesch, CEO of CityFibre, added: “Scotland’s need for a world-class digital infrastructure has never been greater which is why we stand firmly behind the Scottish Government’s plan to enhance digital connectivity across all of Scotland to drive sustainable and inclusive economic growth and act as a key enabler of tackling climate change and transitioning to a low carbon economy.
“Full fibre will play a critical role in levelling-up Scotland and so today we are accelerating our plans, bringing full fibre to additional cities even faster.”
Today’s announcement follows news that TalkTalk has committed to join CityFibre’s network to market both consumer and business services. The firm will join Vodafone and more than 1,500 business and public sector ISPs as customers on the growing network.