THE £75 million process of turning Bradford into one of the world's best digitally connected cities began today.

Work started on extending the city's full fibre network on Tuesday.

The multi-million pound project has been funded by private investment from CityFibre.

It will take four years to complete, with the construction work beginning in East Bowling.

Kim Johnston, City Manager for Bradford, said: “Bradford is one step closer to becoming a Gigabit City with the commencement of work to install state-of-the-art digital infrastructure across the city.

"The first homes will soon be able to benefit from full fibre, unlocking access to all of the latest entertainment and services at gigabit speeds, with the peace of mind that comes from a reliable connection for seamless homeworking.

“Bradford is one of the youngest cities in the country and CityFibre's full fibre network will be vital in ensuring Bradford has a resilient and dynamic economy for years to come.

"In addition, it will provide growth opportunities and a platform to support businesses to take their products or services to a national and international audience.”

Fibre is revered as the best method of connection for getting online quickly, with near unlimited bandwidth and reliability.

But, fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) is only available to less than 20 per cent of premises across the UK.

The network being built in Bradford - which will reach almost every home and business locally once completed - could be worth more than £300 million to the city over the next 15 years, according to research by Regeneris.

The economic consultancy firm estimates up to £136 million could be added to the value of homes in Bradford, while full fibre might also unlock £69 million in business productivity and innovation.

Enhanced connectivity could attract new business start-ups to set-up in the city too - worth £40 million in growth - and Smart City initiatives could add as much as £95 million locally.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, at Bradford Council, said: “Fast and reliable broadband is so important in the world today, from facilitating digital on-demand content to supporting businesses to grow and flourish.

"We welcome CityFibre's investment in fibre technology across the city and district, which will play a key role in supporting Bradford’s digital ambitions and drive economic growth and resilience."

Network Plus is delivering the construction programme on CityFibre’s behalf, using modern build techniques to deploy the network quickly.

The team is also working closely with CityFibre, Bradford Council and local communities to manage disruption and ensure a fast and successful roll-out.

Residents who may be impacted by the project will be informed ahead of construction work coming to their streets.

Anyone interested in connecting to full fibre broadband can pre-register their interest on CityFibre's website.