Community Fibre doubles network rollout target
January 27, 2022
By Colin Mann
Full fibre broadband provider Community Fibre has doubled its network roll-out target in London and will now pass 2.2 million homes and businesses by the end of 2024. The network operator and ISP aims to serve more than half of the 3.6 million homes in the city.
Community Fibre, which has already enabled 435,000 homes and businesses with its full fibre connectivity, will accelerate its network growth to help power London out of the pandemic. With so many Londoners needing more affordable and reliable connectivity to undertake critical activities such as working and studying remotely, running small businesses, as well as applying for jobs and undertaking video interviews, Community Fibre is focused on meeting this need for as many people as possible in the quickest time. The service provides high quality connections to support valuable relaxation and social engagement ranging from high-definition TV streaming to gaming.
“I welcome Community Fibre’s additional investment in our digital infrastructure, which will give Londoners faster Internet speeds and support new jobs and growth,” stated Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London. “It forms part of wider plans led by my Digital Inclusion Taskforce to bridge the digital divide through reliable and affordable connectivity, access to devices, and skills training.”
“The last two years have been a challenge for everyone, which is why it is more important than ever that we are focused on giving the communities in London the connectivity they need,” stated Graeme Oxby, Chief Executive Officer at Community Fibre. “We have seen significant progress in our roll-out and will be continuing to ramp this up in the next three years, bringing our 100 per cent full fibre broadband to almost two thirds of London’s citizens and businesses. We are working closely with landlords and councils to install better broadband across London and we have increased our commitment to making London gigabit-capable. And by putting our fibre network through the existing ducts under London’s streets and pavements rather than digging trenches, our build is less disruptive than that of some other operators for residents and road users alike. Community is at the heart of everything we do. Everyone deserves fast, high-quality broadband at affordable prices.”
Research from the Government’s Office for Science indicates that fast broadband should be considered an essential utility, much like water and electricity, with the world becoming increasingly digitalised where people need to get online to access essential care services and personal data.
Olaf Swantee, Executive Chairman for Community Fibre complimented the Community Fibre team led by Oxby: “Community Fibre has grown tremendously, tripling its roll-out pace over the last year to become the leading full fibre network provider in London. The new target is a natural result of this evolution in pace and above expectations performance in providing ultra-fast connectivity to a larger number of homes and businesses and achieving high levels of customer satisfaction.’’
By using existing ducts and poles to deploy its fibre network, Community Fibre’s installation process results in minimal disruption to London streets. Off the back of its speedy 100 per cent full fibre broadband rollout, in the last year, Community Fibre has hired more than 300 employees; moreover, there are now more than a thousand people employed in Community Fibre’s supply chain, by network build and other partners, helping grow the network.
With the target of 2.2 million homes passed by the end of 2024, Community Fibre will continue to create new jobs in boroughs across the capital.