CityFibre has extended its long-term partnership with VodafoneThree, securing a new agreement to provide network transmission services for the operator’s expanding mobile network as it pursues its £11 billion investment programme to build what it describes as the UK’s best network.
The deal will see CityFibre become a preferred supplier of fibre connectivity for a number of VodafoneThree mobile sites, supporting the operator’s rollout of 5G Standalone services across the UK.
The agreement builds on an existing relationship that has already seen Vodafone play a key role in supporting CityFibre’s nationwide residential fibre expansion. CityFibre’s network currently passes more than 4.7 million premises and is expected to grow beyond 8 million premises in the coming years.
Alongside mobile infrastructure, the partnership will continue to underpin VodafoneThree’s broadband ambitions. More than 330,000 Vodafone residential broadband customers are already served via CityFibre’s network, including users of Vodafone’s 2.2Gbps symmetrical broadband service, which runs on CityFibre’s 10Gb XGS-PON infrastructure.
The announcement comes just weeks after the completion of the merger between Vodafone UK and Three UK, creating VodafoneThree and establishing a new challenger to BT and Virgin Media O2 across both mobile and fixed connectivity markets.
Simon Holden, CEO of CityFibre, said: “CityFibre has digital infrastructure built for the future, enabling our partners to deliver an unbeatable service to their customers. CityFibre has grown with Vodafone and Three’s support, becoming the UK’s wholesale provider of choice, and we are delighted to be a key part of VodafoneThree’s vision as it continues to invest and innovate.”
The agreement strengthens CityFibre’s position as a strategic wholesale infrastructure partner at a time when mobile operators are increasingly seeking high-capacity fibre networks to support 5G Standalone deployments, network densification and growing data consumption.
Max Taylor, CEO of VodafoneThree, said: “Our mission is to build the UK’s best network and connect every nation, every community, in every corner of the UK, taking 5G Standalone further than any other operator. This partnership with CityFibre supports our ambitions and includes enabling VodafoneThree’s continued growth in the broadband market, bringing our fastest, most reliable broadband to customers in more places.”
The agreement provides CityFibre further boost to its wholesale strategy, extending beyond residential broadband into the growing market for mobile backhaul and transmission services. The company has positioned itself as an alternative national infrastructure provider, competing with Openreach and Virgin Media O2’s wholesale operations for connectivity contracts from broadband providers, enterprises and mobile operators.
