Telecom firm CityFibre has signed a ten-year deal with Inverness-based internet service provider HighNet to roll out high speed fiber connections across UK cities, starting with Glasgow.

The Glasgow’s city center phase will provide over 7,000 local businesses with download speeds of up to 1Gbps, and the company is also offering fiber-to-the-tower (FTTT) services to UK mobile operators.

Speculation

The recent merger between BT and EE has led to speculation that Vodafone is looking for backhaul alternatives to BT. (Backhaul is the intermediate links between the core network, or backbone network and the small subnetworks at the ‘edge’ of the entire network)

CityFibre is in the process of building what it calls ‘Gigabit Cities’ throughout the UK by deploying good-quality pure fiber infrastructures. According to CityFibre a city which has a high-speed network can increase its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2 per cent quickly and provide new jobs for residents.

Talking about the effects of York’s infrastructure James Alexander, Leader of City of York Council, said: “We want to be a top 5 UK economy and to do so, we need the physical infrastructure to support that. Turning York into a Gigabit City is hugely important for businesses, residents and visitors.”

Peterborough City Council is also in the process of having its fiber infrastructure upgraded. Among the first customers to benefit from the Glasgow project will be HighNet’s channel partners.

In a statement released to coincide with the Glasgow announcement CityFibre said: “Gigabit networks increase governmental efficiency, supporting a new era of digital public services, enhancing educational capabilities and improving healthcare delivery. Gigabit Cities will spark the UK’s economy, helping businesses to compete globally by unlocking access to new services. When gigabit connectivity ultimately reaches the home, residents can enjoy significantly improved broadband services enriching their quality of life.”