CityFibre has expanded its partnership with Bechtel, one of the world’s leading engineering, construction, and project management companies, to accelerate its Full Fibre broadband rollout to approximately one third of the UK market by 2025.
Bechtel’s teams have been fully integrated into CityFibre’s organizational structure since September 2020, enabling CityFibre to accelerate the mobilization of its 25 network construction partners and manage more than 60 parallel full town and city builds. Bechtel has also helped to strengthen project controls to enhance operational management, establish controls around risk and change, and increase productivity.
The new agreement formalizes a five-year extension to the partnership and will fully leverage Bechtel’s mega-project expertise in project controls, construction management, contracts management, and environment, safety and health. Bechtel will focus its leadership and construction management efforts in CityFibre’s north and southeast regions, areas with the greatest density of parallel builds. It will also continue to provide functional support across all regions as well as developing resource models to ensure thousands more operatives are trained and available to build partners to help construct the network.
“It’s a pleasure to be extending our alliance with Bechtel after a hugely successful year as partners,” Greg Mesch, CEO at CityFibre said. “Over the last twelve months, they have worked in lockstep with our teams to deliver an extraordinary acceleration of our rollout. This pace will only increase as we commence new projects and maximise the productivity of each build. We’re delighted that Bechtel, with their unparalleled experience of complex, scaled construction projects, will be working alongside us in the years ahead as we continue to build the UK’s finest Full Fibre infrastructure platform.”
“We’re really proud of what we have achieved with CityFibre in only a year,” John Williams, Bechtel’s UK & Ireland Infrastructure Managing Director said. “This new alliance will deepen our partnership, help sustain CityFibre’s incredible growth trajectory, and help future-proof the nation’s digital infrastructure for communities across the UK.”
- CityFibre notes that it recently concluded the UK’s largest ever capital raise for Full Fibre deployment of £1.125bn. The investment round has been secured new investors Mubadala and Interogo Holding.
- CityFibre has appointed 25 network construction partners across the UK. Network build is underway in 60 UK cities and towns.
- CityFibre’s services are now live in 46 cities and towns.
