CityFibre has begun work to connect more than 45,000 homes and businesses across areas of Leicestershire and Warwickshire to full fibre thanks to an award of £77m as part of Project Gigabit.
Openreach has started work to build a new ultrafast broadband network for Portsmouth.
The Full Fibre broadband upgrades will allow local people to connect multiple devices at gigabit-capable speeds and help businesses trade online and compete for many years.
Engineers have started work in the city and the build is expected to reach the majority of local homes and businesses in the next couple of years.
Martin Williams, Openreach Partnership Director, said: “This is a major infrastructure upgrade, and connecting everyone in the southeast to our fastest and most reliable broadband would result in a multi-billion pound economic boost.”
Openreach’s new ultrafast Full Fibre network in the southeast now reaches more than one million properties, and the company plans to roll out the new technology to 25 million homes and businesses by the end of 2026.
Openreach build partner Morrison Telecom Services is helping to deliver the investment.
John Jauncey, Director at Morrison Telecom Services, said: “The new full fibre rollout will bring much needed improvements to broadband speeds for residents and businesses throughout the city.
“The high level of interest from the community confirms the strong local desire for faster and more reliable connections.”