Residents in Chapelfields, Foxwood, Dringhouses and Woodthorpe can now connect to 1000 Mb/s internet speeds as it ramps up the second phase of its full fibre rollout which will reach up to 55,000 homes and business in York by the end of next year. York will be the first city in the UK to have city-wide full fibre all the way from the exchange into individual homes or businesses that is both accessible and affordable for residents, transforming it into the country’s first gigabit city. 15,000 homes and businesses in Rawcliffe, Clifton, Huntington, New Earswick and parts of The Groves have been able to connect to York’s Ultra Fibre Optic over the last couple of years since the first phase of the project was completed. Residents with a gigabit connection can download a two hour HD film or 100 songs in seconds, tasks that currently take more than 25 minutes and eight minutes in an average UK home. Digging has been carried out over the last year to install the fibre around the streets of Dringhouses, Woodthorpe, Foxwood, Chapelfields and Holgate. The build also recently started in Poppleton where ‘narrow trenches’ are being dug along the pavements of the streets to be connected so that the fibre can be installed. Homes and businesses in Holgate and Poppleton will be next to connect. Paul Crane, TalkTalk’s Head of Ultra Fibre Optic Engagement, was in Dringhouses this week to see the first residents in the area that have connected to the network. Richard Grayling, York’s UFO Customer and resident in Dringhouses, said: “I have been waiting for York’s UFO for so long. I work in IT and have been through the ‘pain’ of having new internet providers with other companies at work. I expected it to be equally difficult; however it was really smooth and easy. I didn’t have to do anything, it was amazing! Having three growing boys, who love playing games online, we were always struggling with internet speeds and they would have to take it in turns to play. Now we can all play at the same time and we are not getting any lag so the children are winning as well! The only thing limiting the speed is the capability of our devices, so that is the next thing we need to upgrade!” Paul Crane, Head of Ultra Fibre Optic Engagement for TalkTalk, said: “Launching Ultra Fibre Optic to the first residents in this second phase of our full fibre rollout is an important milestone. We are really excited that people in Dringhouses, Woodthorpe, Foxwood and Chapelfields can now connect and that very soon residents in Holgate and Poppleton will be able to experience the benefits of gigabit connectivity. We are working closely with the Council to progress the build as quickly as possible so that we reach our goal of bringing York’s Ultra Fibre Optic to 55,000 homes and businesses across the city.” Research by the House of Commons Library, released in January 2018, using information provided by Ofcom, revealed that York Outer constituency already has the fastest download speeds in the country at 128.9Mb/s, with York Central second fastest at 82.4Mb/s. This compares to a national average of 44.6Mb/s. SHARE THIS STORY:
TalkTalk has connected 20,000 businesses and homes in York to its ultra fibre optic network, which can have internet speeds of 1,000 Mb/s. The company is ramping up the second phase of the rollout to achieve its target of 55,000 homes and businesses in the city by the end of next year. The project will see York become the country’s first-gigabit city in the UK with exchange to end user full fibre connection across the city.