I have been asked to make you aware of this. MS.

Sudbury could join the UK’s top broadband speeds as world-class full-fibre infrastructure is earmarked for the town

Community leaders are urging residents in Sudbury to back proposals to build a new full-fibre network unveiled by County Broadband which aims to transform the town’s digital connectivity into one of the most fastest and reliable in the UK.

Around 8,000 homes are earmarked to receive the service and have been added to the community provider’s growing rollout of its new gigabit-capable digital infrastructure across rural East Anglia. The local project is being backed by a £46 million private investment from Aviva Investors.

Hyperfast network would replace the current part-copper Superfast FTTC infrastructure (fibre-to-the-cabinet) that dates back to the Victorian times with FTTP (fibre-to-the-premises) and deliver improved reliability and provide speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps – nearly 20 times faster than the UK average. The infrastructure could be built and operational by spring 2022.

Neighbouring villages Belchamp Otten, Belchamp St. Paul and Belchamp Walter approved the plans for their communities and had the network built earlier this year. In total, over 100 villages in north-east Essex, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk are earmarked in the rollout.

Lloyd Felton, chief executive of County Broadband, said: “We would like to work with the people of Sudbury to build our brand new, full-fibre network, that will provide the town with much needed reliable and faster broadband speeds now, and equip them for whatever the future brings. One thing the Covid-19 pandemic has shown us is just how important a dependable broadband connection is and the urgent need for a faster, more reliable broadband service at home.

“We are already well underway with dozens of similar projects in rural areas around Sudbury – and we are now looking forward to extending our full-fibre service to residents of the town itself, bringing affordable, lightning fast broadband services to residents and businesses. We’re asking people to register their interest online to help how we plan and prioritise bringing real full-fibre broadband to the town.

“Over the next few weeks we will be hosting a series of online events with residents to answer questions about the project and will be working with the local authorities to provide more information about the service.”

Prime minister Boris Johnson is relying on local providers like County Broadband to achieve his flagship target of UK-wide gigabit-speed connectivity by 2025. It forms part of his “infrastructure revolution” to catch up with the rest of the world and support the Covid-19 economic recovery. The news also follows fresh government advice to work from home until next spring.

Ciaran Griffin, Town Clerk at Sudbury Town Council, said: “Sudbury Town Council is delighted to see that we will be one of the UK’s top performers for broadband speed and reliability. Covid-19 is forcing rapid changes, with many more residents working from home and local businesses building e-commerce platforms to support their high street presence. This world-class digital infrastructure will be vital to attract new business to Sudbury, helping the recovery and building resilience for the future.”

Residents should visit www.sudbury.countybroadband.co.uk to register their interest in the project which will enable County Broadband to plan and prioritise the rollout of its service.