Plymouth will see tens of millions pounds investment in expanding its digital infrastructure over the next three years as part of an ambition to become one of the best-connected cities in the UK for residents, businesses and visitors.
Plymouth City Council recognises that investment in digital technology will be vitally important as the city’s economy looks to bounce back from the effects of the pandemic. Easily available, low-cost high speed digital connections will boost business productivity, innovation, create thousands of jobs and deliver hundreds of millions of pounds in economic benefits for the City.
The Council also aims to tackle the issue of the digital divide in the city with an estimated eight per cent of Plymouth residents (around 20,000 people) digitally excluded and lacking the skills, equipment or motivation to take up online services.
Investment in digital infrastructure already underway across Plymouth includes:
- Working with CityFibre, the UK’s third largest national infrastructure platform, on a £52m project which will see gigabit full fibre connectivity delivered to nearly every property across the city. The project will create a competitive alternative to existing copper cables with a full fibre network transforming the digital connectivity of the city. CityFibre estimates the project will boost Plymouth’s overall economy by around £600m in the next 15 years.
- By this summer, BT, working with engineers from Openreach, will have delivered 131 full fibre connections to public sector properties across Plymouth and surrounding area. The Local Fast Fibre Network project, which has been given £2.3m funding by the Government, means key public services such as hospitals, clinics, doctors’ surgeries, schools, youth centres, libraries and council buildings will benefit from ultrafast fibre broadband with download speeds of up to 1 Gbps (Gigabit per second).
- Openreach has also already started work to extend its existing superfast fibre network at two of the seven local exchanges in the city, increasing speeds available from up to 80Mbps available today to full fibre 1Gbps.
- Across the city this year, VirginMedia, will be upgrading its network of coaxial cable to 1 Gbps speeds.
- Widespread availability of fibre broadband will enable provision of the next generation of mobile services using 5G. 5G is already live in the city with more coverage being rolled out over the next three years.
- Smart Sound Connect is an extension to the established Smart Sound Plymouth marine innovation testing and proving ground administered by our European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) supported marine innovation service, the Marine Business Technology Centre (MBTC). Providing the world’s first ocean-based 5G testbed, Smart Sound Connect allows marine businesses to utilise high speed data networks to accelerate the development of marine autonomy, clean propulsion, environmental monitoring and modelling and cyber security solutions. It also connects the ocean to the City to allow the integration of marine and land-based travel networks such as on-board customs clearance on ferry arrivals, smart shipping and border control as well as providing information to passengers driving to the port so that queues are minimised.
These investments are not just good news for the marine and advanced manufacturing and engineering sectors, there is an increased significance for the city’s growing tourism, education and entertainment sectors. Plymouth’s digital technologies sector and its creative industries (1.3 per cent and 2.6 per cent of employment) are expected to grow by 54 per cent, and 43 per cent respectively by 2038. The city is also home to high tech medical businesses and research establishments, as well as three universities and the 10th largest teaching hospital in Europe. All these sectors rely upon high speed, low-cost digital connectivity.
Cllr Tudor Evans, Leader of Plymouth City Council said: “The last 12 months has shown us all how vital it is to be connected digitally, whether for working from home, keeping in touch with relatives or home schooling children.
“These connections don’t just happen. A lot of work and investment goes into digital infrastructure and it’s exciting to see so many vital initiatives happening now in our city that will get us all better connected.
“Our future is digital and we want our residents and businesses to be among the best connected in the UK, with high-speed, high-quality broadband available for all to access high quality public services as well as leisure activities that rely on speedy connections such as streaming, gaming and video calls. We also want to eliminate digital exclusion so everyone can enjoy the benefits of faster broadband.
“We need to see Plymouth reap the rewards of technology that create jobs and allows people to improve their skills. We want the city to be an attractive place for expanding businesses, start-ups and inward investment - our ambition is nothing less than to become the South West’s leading digital hub.”