Elevate has announced it has gone live with its £7m full-fibre network across Cardiff to better connect and empower residents and businesses, and help support the local economy.
The business internet and networks provider said its Cardiff project – the sixth in its Hypercity portfolio and the company’s first in Wales – positioned the Welsh capital as a leader in the digital landscape, driving job creation, attracting investment, and ensuring that businesses and residents can better connect locally and work internationally.
The deployment forms part of a multimillion-pound investment in the economic future of the city by the Welsh government’s Local Broadband Fund, and follows a partnership and collaboration between the Elevate team and Cardiff Council.
“Broadband is a necessity in this digital age, and access to reliable connectivity is essential to help our local businesses flourish and our residents thrive,” said Isabelle Bignall, chief digital officer at Cardiff Council.
“I am proud to share the transformative impact of Cardiff’s Local Broadband Fund project, which has successfully delivered gigabit speed connectivity to the most digitally deprived areas of the city. This project has boosted connectivity for businesses and residents, driving economic growth and enhancing daily life in Cardiff. Alongside the improvements in broadband infrastructure, this project has also invested in our local communities.”
Adding its thoughts on the need for its network, Elevate noted that while some parts of Cardiff already have access to high-speed connectivity, there were areas where a digital divide emerged, due to the patchwork approach of legacy network builds. Residents and businesses in the “gaps” were still reliant on copper infrastructure, and as such, it said, restricted by what it regarded as inadequate internet connectivity.
The full-fibre network gives over 5,000 businesses across Cardiff access to dedicated internet speeds up to 10 Gbps and over 4,000 homes access to full-fibre broadband up to 1 Gbps. The project also offers enhanced access to services, better educational opportunities and improved social inclusion. The network will be available under the Elevate brand for business customers, and WeFibre for residential customers in their homes. Elevate Wholesale will also be working with local IT organisations to support their customers’ connectivity needs in the city.
Elevate has also provided Cardiff’s Virtual School with online tuition credits to enable students who may struggle in a traditional school setting to complete their English and Maths GCSEs. WeFibre offers an affordable social tariff helping to reduce the financial barriers to connectivity, and 15 community sites have received free-for-life gigabit internet connections.
Elevate CEO Elliott Mueller said: “Working in the cultural and commercial centre of Wales, businesses across the region need rapid and resilient access to the best possible digital infrastructure. When we were awarded the contract back in 2023, we committed to full-fibre coverage across Cardiff by 2025, and we’re delighted that the work we’ve undertaken with Cardiff Council and the Welsh government has delivered exactly that.”
Welsh government cabinet secretary for economy, energy and planning Rebecca Evans added: “This significant investment in Cardiff’s digital infrastructure will provide thousands of businesses and residents with world-class connectivity, including many people who have suffered with slow broadband speeds until now.
“The Welsh government, through our Digital Strategy for Wales, is committed to working with the telecommunications industry to deliver the fixed and wireless connectivity services that businesses, the public sector and homes in Wales need to thrive.”
