Super-fast £27m broadband to make Wakefield 'one of the world's best connected districts'

A £27 million investment to rollout super-fast broadband has begun, with Wakefield Council promising to make the district one of the world's best connected areas.
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Construction on the city-wide full-fibre network has begun in Lupset and is being delivered by O’Connor Utilities (OCU) on behalf of CityFibre.

Coun Michelle Collins, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for resources, said: “Having a fast and reliable internet connection is vital for so many of our residents and local businesses, at a time when we are more reliant on the internet than ever before.

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“That’s why we’re extremely pleased to see this investment programme get underway in our district, which will in time enable all our communities to access the economic and social benefits that come with good internet access.”

Coun Denise Jeffery, Steve Moore and Coun Michelle Collins.Coun Denise Jeffery, Steve Moore and Coun Michelle Collins.
Coun Denise Jeffery, Steve Moore and Coun Michelle Collins.

Steve Moore, city manager at CityFibre, said: “I’m immensely excited and proud to see work getting underway in Wakefield.

"We’re already making tremendous progress across Yorkshire, and this is the start of an exciting new chapter for the city and its digital ambitions.

"It’s important to remember that any short-term disruption will pay off tremendously in the long-term - once the network’s built, it will serve the community’s connectivity needs for decades to come.”

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Full-fibre networks, unlike copper-based ‘fibre broadband’ services available today, use 100 per cent fibre optic cables to carry data at light speed all the way from the home to the point of connection.

This gives users speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps for upload and download, near limitless bandwidth and connectivity users can depend on.

Each area will usually take a few weeks to complete, however, construction teams will typically only be outside each home for two to three days and CityFibre will be in touch by mail ahead of any work starting.

The overall project is expected to be finished by 2024.