Two Suffolk towns have received a fresh boost as full fibre broadband projects are to be extended to almost every home and business under multi-billion pound plans.
Ipswich and Lowestoft are among 14 towns nationwide named by CityFibre to be next in line for full fibre infrastructure to be installed, as part of its £2.5bn Gigabit City Club.
The two towns are already getting investment by the firm after Suffolk Public Sector Leaders announced in December that it was pumping millions into full fibre for public buildings in 10 towns, which would form a 'spine' network for further development later on.
It is understood the investment by Suffolk's leaders made a compelling case for the two towns to be included in CityFibre's latest developments which will extend it beyond public buildings and into homes.
Leader of Suffolk County Council Matthew Hicks said: "Having Ipswich and Lowestoft included as new 'Gigabit Cities' in CityFibre's latest rollout is a another boost for fibre connectivity in Suffolk and supports our longstanding aim to have 100% connectivity in the county.
"As an authority we are excited to continue to work with our partners and CityFibre to accelerate rollout to both towns as part of the Suffolk Cloud Project."
CityFibre's Gigabit City scheme will extend the full fibre infrastructure from schools, hospitals and other public buildings to almost every home and business in those towns, according to the company.
It says that full fibre broadband will boost the economy by more than £16bn in the latest 14 areas confirmed alone.
Greg Mesch, CityFibre chief executive, said: "CityFibre's sole purpose is to deliver the future-proof digital infrastructure the UK deserves.
"With a new Prime Minister set to increase government's ambitions for the pace of full fibre rollout, we are delighted to welcome another 14 towns and cities to our Gigabit City Club.
"These Gigabit Cities will not only gain new full fibre networks that will spark their digital transformation, but also unleash the benefits that only competitive infrastructure investment can bring."
It is understood that full fibre networks will be future proofed for the next 50-100 years.
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