£40m investment to connect town to next generation broadband

Dewsbury is to benefit from an investment of £40m in its digital future, as part of CityFibre’s plans to replace the nation’s legacy networks with gigabit-capable full fibre connectivity.

The infrastructure is expected to boost business productivity and innovation, while giving residents access to the UK’s fastest broadband services.

The project was formerly led by FibreNation and will now fall under CityFibre’s up to £4bn Gigabit City Investment Programme that aims to reach up to eight million premises.

Construction of the network formally began in July 2019 and upon completion, it will be in reach of nearly every home and business in the town.

It will also provide a platform for a new generation of “smart city” applications and underpin the roll-out of 5G mobile services.

CityFibre’s Stephen Moore will spearhead the delivery of the project. He said: “We’re immensely excited to drive forward with our roll-out plan in Dewsbury.

“We’re making great progress throughout Yorkshire and the long-term importance of reliable, ultrafast speed and limitless capacity broadband for residents and businesses in Dewsbury and North Kirklees cannot be understated.

“Our digital infrastructure plays a crucial role in growing and protecting local economies, even more so during these unprecedented times when connectivity has proven vital to residents, businesses and public services alike.

“Full Fibre has a major part to play in the nation’s economic recovery and I’m proud to be playing a part in securing Dewsbury’s digital future.”

Make Happen Group is the build partner helping to deliver the new full fibre network and will be using modern build techniques to deploy the network quickly.

The network is not yet live but once activated, services will be available from an increasing range of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to deliver next generation broadband services.

Councillor Shabir Pandor, leader of Kirklees Council, said: “We are delighted to see CityFibre’s full fibre network rolled out in Kirklees.

“The council has a clear vision for North Kirklees which includes Batley, Birstall, Spen Valley, Dewsbury, Mirfield and other areas, to be well-connected and to support initiatives that will drive economic growth, improve employment prospects and improve the overall experience for those who visit, work and live in the area.

“This will provide great opportunities for everyone to be connected to the best broadband speeds for work, leisure and recreation. We will truly be ahead of many other areas.”