CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform, has connected its first customers in Buckinghamshire as part of its Project Gigabit rollout across the area.
The build in Buckinghamshire is part of a larger Project Gigabit contract that will also provide better broadband to Hertfordshire and East Berkshire, where residents will be able to connect later in the year as build continues. The rollout was made possible thanks to over £58m in government funding enabling more than 34,000 homes and businesses across Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and East Berkshire to unlock superfast and ultra-reliable full fibre broadband. CityFibre is also contributing its own investment to support the project.
In total, over 1.3 million homes and businesses stand to benefit from CityFibre’s Project Gigabit rollout which forms part of the company’s commitment to reach more than eight million premises nationwide.
CityFibre hosted an event to mark this important milestone at Longueville Hall. Longueville Hall serves as a community hub for the residents of Newton Longville, offering rentable spaces and hosting Parish Council meetings regularly.
Leader of Buckinghamshire Council, Cllr Steven Broadbent (pictured, middle) attended the event, noting how this upgrade will impact the local community: “In today’s digital world people need to have a good internet connection, and the biggest thing we hear from residents is the need to improve infrastructure. So CityFibre’s rollout in places like Newton Longville is really important for people living in those communities.
“Looking back, so much has changed in the way we live our lives. We can work or run a business from home, everyone’s doing online meetings now, and we want to ensure our children can connect to online lessons should they need to. I know it has made a huge difference to my family and I believe that is representative of the families across Newton Longville and across the county.”
Among the first residential customers to be connected is tech-savvy Steve Heath (pictured, second from left) from Newton Longville. Steve used to work for Motorola and now, in his retirement consults for an electric car supplier and builds electric cars himself in his spare time.
Up until recently, Steve was struggling with 50Mbps download speeds and around 10Mbps average upload speeds. These rates made it very difficult for his consultancy work where transferring large amounts of data was a core part of his role. Steve’s wife was also regularly uploading and downloading large files of audio to enter acapella competitions, making the need for strong speeds even greater in their household. Now, Steve has taken a CityFibre service via Rocket Fibre and enjoys 930Mbps both up and download speed, over nine times faster than his previous supplier.
On his new connection, Steve said: “It’s the symmetrical aspect that has really made the difference, as a lot of the time upload speeds are a lot lower than download, and it’s something you really notice. It’s been an amazing transformation in connection and I find I can get so much more done now, both for work and for leisure! I am absolutely delighted with the service.”
Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant said: ”Project Gigabit is ensuring even the most remote parts of Buckinghamshire can seamlessly surf, stream and download. It’s particularly rewarding to hear about residents like Steve, who can now run his business more effectively thanks to our rollout of fast, reliable networks.
“This milestone demonstrates the real impact of the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change – connecting communities, empowering businesses and breaking down barriers to opportunity across the country.”
Simon Holden, Group Chief Operating Officer at CityFibre, said: “The rollout of CityFibre’s full fibre broadband network is a massive leap forward for Buckinghamshire’s digital infrastructure. In building this foundation, we’re not only enhancing day-to-day connectivity, we’re enabling long-term economic resilience, innovation, and growth throughout the region.”
Residents and businesses across Buckinghamshire join those in Cambridge, Norfolk, Suffolk and Hampshire who have already begun to connect to CityFibre’s network as part of Project Gigabit.
The subsidy from BDUK complements CityFibre’s own commercial investment across Buckinghamshire to enable even more areas to access full fibre broadband. CityFibre’s ‘Project Gigabit’ rollouts are part of the company’s commitment to reach more than 8 million premises nationwide.
Chamber Digital Academy
The CityFibre Digital Academy, in partnership with Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce (TVCC) and regional chambers, is a transformative initiative designed to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with cutting-edge digital skills and insights.
Spanning four years (2025-2028), the program delivers a series of workshops tailored to help businesses thrive in an increasingly digital world.
