CityFibre for Business: Full Fibre Networks Explained

For most of the history of UK broadband, BT Openreach has been the dominant infrastructure provider. If you wanted a fibre broadband connection, chances were it was delivered over Openreach equipment regardless of which ISP you bought it from. CityFibre is the most significant challenge to this model — an independent network builder that has deployed its own full fibre infrastructure in dozens of UK towns and cities, creating genuine competition at the infrastructure level.

What Is CityFibre?

CityFibre is a wholesale-only fibre network operator. This means CityFibre builds and operates the physical fibre infrastructure, but businesses and consumers buy connectivity from ISPs that use the CityFibre network rather than directly from CityFibre itself. ISPs including Vodafone, Zen Internet, TalkTalk, and a growing number of regional providers offer business broadband and leased line products delivered over CityFibre's network.

As of 2025–26, CityFibre has built or is building full fibre infrastructure in over 60 towns and cities across the UK, with a stated ambition to pass eight million premises. Coverage is strongest in mid-sized towns and cities where BT Openreach's FTTP rollout has been slower.

CityFibre Coverage: Where Is It Available?

CityFibre's network is not distributed evenly across the UK. It tends to be strongest in:

• Mid-sized UK cities and large towns that were earlier adopters of the CityFibre programme
• Areas where CityFibre won contracts through the government's gigabit broadband subsidy schemes
• Locations where Openreach FTTP rollout has been delayed, giving CityFibre a first-mover advantage

Cities with strong CityFibre coverage include Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Peterborough, Coventry, Huddersfield, Gloucester and many others. In some of these cities, CityFibre has achieved near-universal commercial area coverage.

CityFibre Business Broadband: What Is Available?

Business broadband products on CityFibre are typically available at the following speed tiers (though exact tiers vary by ISP):

• FTTP 150Mbps: Download 150Mbps / Upload 30Mbps
• FTTP 500Mbps: Download 500Mbps / Upload 75Mbps
• FTTP 900Mbps / 1Gbps: Near-symmetric gigabit speeds

Unlike FTTC, CityFibre connections are full fibre from the exchange to the premises, meaning speeds are not affected by distance from a street cabinet and are more consistent throughout the day.

CityFibre Business Broadband Pricing

Pricing for business FTTP over CityFibre varies by ISP and contract length, but indicative monthly costs on 24–36 month contracts:

• FTTP 150Mbps business: £35–£50/month
• FTTP 500Mbps business: £45–£65/month
• FTTP 900Mbps / 1Gbps business: £55–£80/month

In many locations, CityFibre-based products are priced competitively against equivalent Openreach FTTP products. The combination of full fibre performance and competitive pricing has made CityFibre an attractive option for businesses in covered areas.

CityFibre vs BT Openreach FTTP

Both are full fibre networks, meaning both deliver fibre all the way to your premises — not just to a street cabinet. The key differences:

• Coverage: Openreach has a larger total footprint nationally, but CityFibre may be better deployed in specific towns and cities
• Speed: Both offer gigabit-capable speeds at the top tier
• Price: CityFibre-based products are often slightly cheaper than direct BT equivalents
• ISP choice: Openreach supports more ISPs; CityFibre has a growing but smaller list of providers. More ISPs now offer products over CityFibre than a few years ago

Leased Lines Over CityFibre

CityFibre infrastructure also underpins leased line products in covered areas. Some carriers use CityFibre's dark fibre or lit fibre network to deliver dedicated Ethernet circuits, which can offer competitive pricing in CityFibre coverage areas. AMVIA checks CityFibre availability alongside other carrier options when running leased line quotes for clients.

How to Check CityFibre Availability

CityFibre maintains a coverage checker on its website (cityfibre.com) where you can search by postcode. AMVIA also checks CityFibre availability as part of our connectivity assessment for business clients, alongside Openreach, Virgin Media Business and other networks.