An £8 million digital transformation project in Bury St Edmunds is scheduled to open next year, the firm behind it has said.
Work is continuing in the Moreton Hall area by CityFibre on a gigabit-capable full fibre network, which, once complete, will reach almost every home and business in the town.
CityFibre began work on the Bury St Edmunds network in March and it forms part of a nationwide plan to replace the country’s copper-based networks with gigabit-capable full fibre connectivity - something currently only available to around 15% of premises across the UK.
Once activated, services will be available from an increasing range of broadband providers.
Bury St Edmunds MP Jo Churchill saw the work for herself in a visit to the site.
She said: “It was great to visit the team at CityFibre and learn more about their crucial work in providing the right digital infrastructure to benefit residents, business and communities for decades to come.
“This full fibre network in Bury St Edmunds has never been more needed and I am delighted to see such investment and commitment taking place within my constituency.”
Charles Kitchin, CityFibre’s city manager for Bury St Edmunds, said: “We were delighted to welcome Jo to our full fibre site in order to raise awareness of how our state-of-the-art network will underpin the town’s future growth and investment.
“Full fibre has the potential to add millions into the local economy and transform everyday life, from working effectively at home to accessing e-healthcare.
“It’s great to see that there is huge enthusiasm for our rollout and as we continue to gain momentum, we’re excited to be connecting more and more customers and businesses.”
Specialist contractor Lite Access Technologies is delivering the project on CityFibre’s behalf, with work already nearing completion in Eastgate Ward and Moreton Hall.
Town-wide deployment of the full fibre network expansion is due to be largely complete by the end of 2021, with some services available from autumn.
CityFibre is also delivering full fibre networks in Ipswich and Lowestoft.
More details about CityFibre’s Gigabit City vision for Bury St Edmunds are available here, and register your interest as a customer here.
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