CityFibre urges UK to follow Kansas City's fibre broadband lead

CityFibre has urged the UK to take a leaf out of Kansas City's book by leveraging the potential of gigabit fibre optic broadband to encourage economic growth.

Small businesses and entrepreneurs have flocked to the area since search engine giant Google introduced an ultra-fast fibre broadband service, leading to the street separating the city from neighbouring Missouri becoming known as the Silicon Prairie.

According to CityFibre, a gigabit broadband service capable of handling "as much data traffic as you can throw at it" holds major appeal for businesses across a range of industries.

For example, the operator noted that Kansas City's fibre optic network has attracted startups such as an innovation consultancy, a biometrics company and an event-finding app.

The company has rolled out its own gigabit network across York, where more than 100km of fibre optic cable connects schools, council buildings, NHS sites and more.

"Our vision is to see cities and towns in the UK transformed into 'gigabit cities' - and York is well on its way," CityFibre explained.