They agreed a long term partnership – CityFibre’s goal is to pass 8 million UK properties and is almost halfway there

 CityFibre, which says it is the UK’s largest independent full fibre platform, announced a long-term partnership with Sky, one of the biggest retail broadband providers in the UK.

Under the agreement Sky will offer its broadband to customers on CityFibre’s fibre network. CityFibre passes 3.8 million homes today intends to expand its network to at least 8 million premises over time.

Sky currently offers broadband services via BT Openreach’s infrastructure. According to ISP Review, an announcement regarding CityFibre has been expected for some time.

Sky worked with CityFibre a decade ago in a joint venture with TalkTalk, piloting FTTP networks in the UK. The JV was later renamed Fibre Nation and sold back to CityFibre in 2020 for £206 million.

Long term plans

It is expected that Sky’s Full Fibre Broadband will be available on CityFibre’s infrastructure from next year. Longer term, this will include over 1.3 million homes in hard-to-reach areas through CityFibre’s participation in the Government’s Project Gigabit Programme.

CityFibre states it is “committed to accelerating the upgrade of its entire network to 10Gbps XGS-PON, supporting the introduction of an expanded symmetrical multi-gigabit product portfolio for its ISP partners”.

Greg Mesch, CEO at CityFibre said: “This partnership with Sky is a huge vote of confidence in our business and has cemented CityFibre’s position as the UK’s third digital infrastructure platform [behind BT’s Openreach and Virgin Media O2]. With demand for digital connectivity continuing to grow, CityFibre’s network can provide the quality and reliability that people need and the infrastructure competition the UK deserves.”