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Network operator CityFibre, which have so far built their 2.5Gbps speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network to cover 4.4 million UK premises (4.2m Ready for Service), has today confirmed the completion of their “primary” £58 million build across the large Berkshire (England) town of Reading – including some of its surrounding areas.
CityFibre originally started this deployment back in late 2020, supported by civil engineering contractor Instalcom. The operator’s new network has since laid 1,230km of dense full fibre and is now ready for service to over 97,000 homes, covering around 98% of homes and most businesses in the town and its surrounding areas.
While the primary-build is now complete, CityFibre said they would continue to explore opportunities to connect more homes and businesses, including flats, new-build homes, business parks and homes on private roads.
Neil Madle, Partnership Manager at CityFibre, said:
“Thriving towns like Reading stand to gain significantly from next-generation digital infrastructure, unlocking new growth and opportunities. Connectivity continues to play a vital role for residents, businesses and public services. With our full fibre network, Reading will enhance its resilience and futureproof its infrastructure, creating value for residents and businesses alike.”
The operator’s main gigabit-capable broadband rivals in the town are naturally Openreach and Virgin Media (inc. nexfibre), which both have good coverage of the area. But a number of alternative networks also have some modest to tiny levels of coverage across the town, including 4th Utility, OFNL (inc. Fibrenest), Glide, Grain and Hyperoptic etc.
CityFibre, which has so far attracted 550,000 (March 2025) live customers and expects to have upgraded their entire network to 10Gbps capable XGS-PON technology by mid-2025 (here), currently still aspires to cover up to 8 million UK premises with their new full fibre network (funded by c.£2.4bn in equity, c.£4.9bn debt and nearly £1bn of BDUK / public subsidy) – representing c.30% of the UK. But quite when they’ll reach that point is unclear.