Job boost as CityFibre appoints contractor to deliver £23m Full Fibre rollout in Halifax

Halifax has been chosen as one of the latest towns to benefit from CityFibre’s nationwide rollout, which will bring next generation, gigabit-speed broadband to nearly every home and business in the city, and to up to 8 million premises nationwide.

The latest milestone has spurred a recruitment drive with new workers needed to support throughout the build process. CityFibre is supporting Network Plus in hiring across various roles, from technical and construction, to supervisory, and administrative positions.

Work is set to commence in June in the Queens Road area of the town. Once the town-wide rollout reaches completion in 2024, almost every home and business locally will have access to full fibre services from a choice of internet service providers.

Steve Moore, Area Manager for Halifax, said: “Our investment is set to transform the digital capabilities of residents and businesses in Halifax and we’re delighted to announce our partnership with Network Plus as the first phase of the project commences. We cannot wait for residents and businesses to access our network and see what is possible with digital connectivity that propels you forward rather than holds you back.

“As well as future-proofing Halifax’s digital infrastructure and capabilities, this project is providing a welcome boost to the jobs market. It’s created 40 new roles, with local talent needed to help us carry out this important project.”

Kevin Armer, Operations Manager, Network Plus, said: “Network Plus are delivering the construction programme on behalf of CityFibre and working closely with Calderdale Council and the local community to manage disruption and to ensure a fast and successful roll-out. Meanwhile, residents are being kept informed by mailings ahead of any works being undertaken in their streets. The planning and programming for the project is run from our Brighouse depot where a successful local recruitment drive aligning with our existing experienced team has allowed us to hit the ground running.”

As work is completed in each neighbourhood, CityFibre will designate the homes ‘ready for service’, which means residents can choose to connect to full fibre-enabled broadband services when they go live in their area.

In Halifax, services are not yet available, however, as soon as they go live, customers will be able to access full fibre enabled services via CityFibre’s UK launch partner, Vodafone, on selected Vodafone Pro Broadband plans, with TalkTalk, IDNet, Giganet, Zen and other providers expected to join the network soon.