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VXFiber and Stoke City Council have signed an agreement to roll out fibre to the home connectivity to a swathe of properties in the city
Stoke City Council has signed a deal to transform the city into a hotspot for gigabit broadband connectivity. Swedish Fibre to the Home (FTTH) provider, VXFiber, will help to transform the city’s broadband infrastructure by rolling out full fibre connectivity to homes and businesses.
The initial project will focus on providing full fibre network access to businesses situated in the city’s Enterprise Zone, with plans to also roll the scheme out to residential customers.
“We’re serious about becoming a sustainable, smart city. However, the traditional part copper based broadband offering currently available simply isn’t good enough to keep pace with the fast-changing connectivity demands of today’s increasingly digital society and economy,” explained Councillor Abi Brown, deputy leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
As part of the scheme, Stoke City Council will retain ownership of the city ring fibre network: it already owns the main ducts across the city and will utilise these to connect all parts of the city.
Increasingly Britain’s drive towards full fibre networks is being led by partnerships between small, specialist firms and local government authorities.
“Stoke-on-Trent is a forward-looking city that understands the essential role of high speed broadband access to businesses and individuals, and the positive social and economic impact it can have on a community,” said VXFIBER executive chairman Mikael Sandberg. “Our work with Stoke-on-Trent City Council provides a template for other UK local authorities and regional governments to follow. By investing in and installing Gigabit-speed fibre themselves, local authorities and councils can take charge of their community’s “digital destiny”, without having to rely on third party telecom operators or ISPs.”
“Councils can reap the economic and social benefits of full fibre Gigabit connectivity in a way that’s affordable and future-proof. Furthermore, the fibre they invest in is a valuable asset that will deliver ongoing revenue and ROI,” he added.
