Properties in London are set to benefit from a £10 million investment in full fibre broadband using Tube tunnels and public buildings to deliver gigabit speeds.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced the latest upgrade from copper cables to full fibre optics, in a bid to help the capital catch up with other cities across Europe.
Full fibre, which is fast enough to download a two-hour high definition movie in about 25 seconds, is only available to around 11% of properties in London at present.
The plan will start with 118,000 premises in south London and hopes to tackle so-called ‘not spot’ areas where connectivity is particularly poor.
‘London’s future digital connectivity will be built on fibre,’ Mr Khan said. ‘High-speed connectivity is crucial for businesses of all sizes and sectors, not to mention Londoners accessing digital services at home and around the city.’
‘This represents the largest investment in connectivity City Hall has ever made – the funding I’m announcing today unlocks the potential for us to use the Tube network and public buildings in bringing gigabit-speed connectivity to Londoners currently putting up with poor service.
‘I hope this provides the catalyst for further investment from the public and private sectors – I’m urging them to match my ambitions to get all Londoners connected.’
The investment will cover the installation costs of linking fibre optic cables to public buildings, such as community centres and libraries, as well as reducing the cost to providers of laying cabling between the public buildings and Londoners’ homes and businesses.
City Hall says the additional funding brings its total investment in full fibre connectivity to more than £30 million, which will help more than 400,000 homes across London.
‘We’re delighted that we can help increase connectivity across the city by using the London Underground to help provide better broadband internet,’ said Shashi Verma, chief technology officer at Transport for London.
‘This work is on top of our wider plans to remove one of London’s biggest not-spots by bringing 4G to the Tube network, with the first section on track to go live from March 2020.’
Additionally, mobile network Vodafone is celebrating the opening of a new 1,000-employee digital hub called The Speechmark in London, tasked with improving 5G around the city.
That was also attended by Sadiq Khan and Vodafone has also signed up to a pilot that would see it supply wireless connectivity to certain stations and platforms on the eastern end of the Jubilee line.
During the opening ceremony at The Speechmark, Mr Khan was shown an interactive smart city model of London. The model, built by Vodafone in association with Bright Bricks brought to life how 5G deployment, partnered with the Internet of Things, will power new ways for cities to operate, especially in how they safeguard the health, safety, and well-being of citizens.
Vodafone UK CEO, Nick Jeffery, said: ‘5G will enable a whole new generation of digital services capable of improving transportation, housing, and connectivity across the capital. 5G will transform the way we live, how and where we do business, and improve how productive we can be at work.’
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