Network operator FullFibre Limited (Fibre Heroes), which is rolling out a new gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband infrastructure across various parts of England for other ISPs to use, has signed a new supply deal with solutions provider NETS International to help “ensure [a] faster network build“. At present the operator is already aiming to extend their […]

CityFibre has announced that they’ve awarded their “first round of contracts” to civil engineering firms under their state-aid supported Project Gigabit broadband rollout contracts in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Hampshire and Suffolk. The deployments will bring full fibre (FTTP) lines to a total of 715,000 extra rural properties. The operator, which is supported by ISPs like Vodafone, […]

Press Release

CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform, has awarded its first round of contracts to build partners as it mobilises to deliver four county-wide full fibre rollouts under the government’s £5bn Project Gigabit programme. The deployments will bring ‘gigabit capable’ infrastructure to 715,000 rural properties that would otherwise be excluded from commercial rollouts.

CityFibre has now appointed Granemore Group in Cambridgeshire, OCU Group and CCN Communications in Hampshire, OCU Group in Norfolk, and Telelink, OCU Group and Granemore Group in Suffolk. The appointment of build partners will enable CityFibre to begin the first phase of construction in each location. The first homes passed by the rollout will be in Cambridgeshire and are expected in October.

The four Project Gigabit contracts, awarded to CityFibre under a competitive process and totalling £387m of government subsidy, will be supported by an additional private investment from CityFibre of £223m, delivering a combined total investment in the project of well over half a billion pounds.

CityFibre’s nationwide full fibre network now passes over 3m premises, with more than 2.7m Ready For Service, as it continues its full fibre network rollout to reach up to a third of the UK. CityFibre is on course to deliver approximately one million Ready For Service homes this year, and comfortably remains the second largest full fibre platform with take-up in mature locations now approaching 30%.

All CityFibre’s rollouts now benefit from the latest full fibre technology known as XGS-PON. This enables CityFibre’s Internet Service Provider Customers to offer homes and business access to even faster and more reliable services, with 2.5Gbps speeds available today, 35x faster than the UK’s average, and has the capability to deliver up to 10Gbps in the future.

Greg Mesch, Chief Executive Officer at CityFibre, said: “We’re excited to get our Project Gigabit rollouts underway, bringing faster and more reliable broadband connectivity to hundreds of thousands of rural homes and businesses areas that were at risk of missing out. With the legacy copper networks in these areas soon to be made obsolete, we look forward to providing all Internet Service Providers a powerful new network from which to better serve their customers.”

Project Gigabit is the government’s flagship £5 billion programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband. It targets homes and businesses that are not included in broadband suppliers’ commercial plans, reaching parts of the UK that might otherwise miss out on getting the digital connectivity they need.

BDUK awarded CityFibre a £69 million contract to provide up to 45,000 hard-to-reach premises in Cambridgeshire with access to gigabit-capable broadband.

BDUK awarded CityFibre £318m of UK government funding to provide up to 218,000 homes and businesses across Norfolk, Suffolk and Hampshire with access to gigabit-capable broadband.
By the end of 2025, the government is targeting 85% of the UK to have gigabit-capable connectivity, and then nationwide coverage by 2030.

Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) has signed a new multi-year partnership with UK tech charity Jangala, which aims to help get thousands of people affected by data poverty online by introducing free WiFi hotspots via the roll-out of 5,000 broadband-enabling “Get Boxes” to homes, community centres, refuges, and homeless shelters. The “Get Boxes” appear to […]

The UK government’s new Smart Infrastructure Pilots Programme (SIPP) has committed £1.3 million to help six areas across the country to trial “smart street lamps“, which will be upgraded to house both Electric Vehicle (EV) charging hubs and boost wireless coverage (broadband and mobile), including via 5G or free public WiFi technology. The successful pilots […]

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on new proposals that closely mirror those recently introduced across England (here and here), which would effectively mandate that property developers ensure their new build homes are constructed with support for gigabit-capable broadband connections. At present every building and building unit in Scotland must already be designed and […]

A meeting in the House of Commons (Parliament) was held yesterday that saw MPs from various different parties debate the proposed merger of Three UK and Vodafone (here), which highlighted how the dominant concerns for MPs centre around issues of national security, job losses and the risk of higher prices for consumers. The merger, which […]

Press Release 

Critical infrastructure firms can align geospatial designs across planning, design, and construction teams to dramatically improve deployment efficiency

MONTCLAIR, N.J., Sept. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Sitetracker, the global deployment operations management software provider serving nearly 300 companies, today launched new capabilities to its already market-leading solution designed to help network operators, engineering, and construction companies accelerate the rollout of fiber broadband by layering construction plans with geographic information systems (GIS) data.

The new solution, Sitetracker GIS Link, connects geospatial data from web GIS systems such as Esri’s ArcGIS within Sitetracker’s deployment operations suite. GIS Link will also support new functionality within Sitetracker that will provide network operators enhanced visibility into deployments by rolling up key metrics such as homes passed by market and servicing area. These new capabilities will allow GIS data to be shared more efficiently, driving improved collaboration between internal and external parties, and enabling broadband to reach rural and underserved communities faster.

“We’re excited to be among the first to roll out Sitetracker GIS Link! With fiber work continuing to ramp up, GIS-enabled workflows are vital to improving collaboration while reducing inefficiency,” said Rob Reynolds, Chief Information Officer and Chief Administrative Officer at Congruex. “Aligning geospatial data with projects is a logical evolution that enables Sitetracker to remain a key and core system in our overall architecture.”

Sitetracker GIS Link will also benefit telecom tower operators, solar developers, EV companies, and other infrastructure companies by enabling multiple map layers, so companies can reduce swivel-chair analysis of wireless site candidates or solar developments and instead use proprietary site data within their deployment operations management functionality.

“Globally, broadband deployment is at an all-time high driven by large-scale investments from both public and private sectors, and providers simply cannot work quickly enough to meet this surging demand,” said Charlie Kennamer, Sitetracker’s Vice President of Telecom, Americas. “We can only meet aggressive build-out targets by shedding outdated processes and adapting modern, efficiency-oriented technology and solutions.”

With fully integrated geospatial data, GIS Link makes it easy to align planning, engineering, and construction work. The solution offers a unified, real-time workflow between stakeholders allowing them to keep network plans aligned with construction progress and enabling more efficient handoffs. For project managers, engineers, and construction managers still relying on paper copies and ad hoc collaboration tools, the software simplifies the ability to receive GIS-based work plans, organize and schedule work, accurately capture production progress, and quickly report – all without manual processes or duplicate data entry. With these capabilities, Sitetracker GIS Link helps accelerate broadband and other types of deployments to meet the lofty goals set out by programs such as Internet for All in the United States, Project Gigabit in the United Kingdom, and the European Union’s Digital Decade.

According to the World Broadband Association, fiber connectivity is tied to economic growth and participation among citizens in education, business, and civic opportunities. Yet, the cost of deployment, regulations, and resource constraints are hindering broadband deployment, particularly in rural areas and developing countries. Efficiency gains are key to more critical infrastructure development.

“We are excited about the efficiency gains that the Esri Sitetracker partnership will provide the industry to better bridge the world’s digital divide,” said Randall René, director of telecommunications industry solutions at Esri.

Even before the launch of GIS Link, Sitetracker helped companies shorten their construction timeframes from project launch to close-out by 31% on average, allowing them to more easily manage projects, assets, and sites as well as processes for capital planning, permitting, ongoing maintenance and more, all in a single platform.

To learn more about Sitetracker’s deployment operations management solution for fiber network operators, contractors, and other critical infrastructure stakeholders, please visit the Sitetracker website.

 

About Sitetracker

Sitetracker powers the rapid deployment of tomorrow’s infrastructure. The global leader in deployment operations management software, Sitetracker helps innovative companies like Cox, Telefonica, EVgo, Nextera, Comcast, ChargePoint, Ziply, Southern Company, Iberdrola, Vodafone, Vantage Towers, VerticalBridge, and Congruex plan, deploy, and manage millions of programs, projects, sites, and assets across nearly 300 customers globally. By giving telecommunications, EV charging, renewables, utility, and real estate teams a cloud-based solution that works easily and effectively, Sitetracker accelerates the transition to a fully connected and sustainable future. Deploy what’s next. For more information, please request a demo.

Sitetracker are silver sponsors at this week’s Connected Britain – catch them on stand 114!

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