Sweden’s VXFIBER, a provider of open access fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) solutions, has announced a partnership with Stoke-on-Trent City Council under which it will roll out Gigabit full-fibre connectivity in the city. In a press release regarding the development it was revealed that Stoke-on-Trent City Council has selected VXFIBER to deploy a new open access all-fibre network, lit up by the VXFIBER Open Access platform, which will provide Gigabit broadband to businesses and residents in the city and surrounding areas. As part of an initial project, meanwhile, it was noted that the council plans to extend full-fibre Gigabit connectivity to the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone, one of 26 Enterprise Zones across the UK, which is transforming brownfield land into sites tailor-made for businesses to locate to.
Under the terms of the partnership Stoke-on-Trent City Council will retain complete ownership of the city ring fibre network: it already owns the main ducts across the city and will utilise these to connect all parts of the city. For its part, VXFIBER will ‘light up’ the fibre and supply the platform for operators and service providers to build and launch their own services to run over the network. The VXFIBER platform will reportedly enable the Council to monetise its infrastructure and receive a return on its investment in a completely open access ecosystem where all ISPs can deliver services over the infrastructure.
Commenting on the matter, Councillor Abi Brown, deputy leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: ‘We’re serious about becoming a sustainable, smart city. However, the traditional part copper based broadband offering currently available simply isn’t good enough to keep pace with the fast-changing connectivity demands of today’s increasingly digital society and economy … Full fibre Gigabit connectivity addresses these needs and is the cornerstone of our vision for the future growth and prosperity of our city and its residents and businesses. VXFIBER is playing a significant role in realising this vision in a way that’s practical, affordable and flexible, to adapt and grow alongside our city and its connectivity needs.’