CityFibre Broadband Deals: Which ISPs Use the Network? (2026)

CityFibre is a wholesale full fibre infrastructure company — it builds and operates the physical network but does not sell broadband directly to consumers. To get a CityFibre connection, you must sign up with a retail ISP such as Vodafone, TalkTalk, Zen Internet, or Cuckoo. By April 2026, CityFibre had passed around 4.5–4.7 million UK premises across 95+ towns and cities, with symmetric speeds available up to 5.5Gbps on its XGS-PON infrastructure.

What Is CityFibre and How Does It Work?

CityFibre is the UK's largest independent full fibre infrastructure provider, positioned as the main alternative to Openreach (owned by BT). It operates as a wholesale network — much like Openreach — meaning it provides the physical fibre optic infrastructure and then leases access to retail ISPs who sell broadband to end customers. CityFibre uses XGS-PON technology, a next-generation standard capable of multi-gigabit symmetric throughput; the network is theoretically capable of 5.5Gbps per connection. By early 2026, CityFibre had reached 95+ UK locations, including Aberdeen, Leeds, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Coventry, and several London boroughs. Openreach's full fibre network remains larger, covering approximately 16 million premises, but CityFibre is growing fast, supported by a £4 billion+ build commitment.

Which ISPs Sell Broadband on CityFibre?

CityFibre has more than 30 retail ISP partners. The major ones you can compare on CompareFibre include: Vodafone, which offers Full Fibre 150Mbps from around £26/month and 910Mbps from around £30/month on 24-month contracts, with symmetric upload on CityFibre (unlike its Openreach plans); TalkTalk, which prices CityFibre Full Fibre from £24/month for 150Mbps up to £36/month for 900Mbps; Zen Internet (scored 84% by Which? in 2026, the highest of any provider); and Cuckoo, which offers symmetric CityFibre FTTP from around £32/month for 150Mbps. Other retail ISPs on CityFibre include IDNet, ITS Technology Group, and FibreHop (now acquired by Zen Internet).

CityFibre vs Openreach: What's the Difference for Customers?

For consumers, the choice between CityFibre and Openreach ISPs mostly comes down to which ISPs are available at your postcode and at what price. However, there are meaningful technical differences. CityFibre's XGS-PON architecture delivers symmetric upload speeds — so on a Vodafone or TalkTalk CityFibre 900Mbps plan, your upload speed is also around 900Mbps, compared to around 110Mbps upload on the equivalent Openreach-based plan. This matters for households that regularly upload large files, back up to cloud services, or work from home with heavy video conferencing loads. CityFibre's typical latency is 5–15ms, comparable to Openreach FTTP. By Q3 2025, FTTP connections had overtaken FTTC nationally — there were 11.56 million FTTP connections versus 10.60 million FTTC. CityFibre accounts for a growing share of that FTTP total.

How to Find a CityFibre Deal at Your Address

Because CityFibre is a wholesale network, you cannot sign up directly with CityFibre. Instead, visit the websites of retail ISPs like Vodafone, TalkTalk, or Zen Internet and use their postcode checkers to confirm CityFibre availability. You can also use the cityfibre.com homes postcode checker to see whether the CityFibre network passes your property, then choose the ISP that suits you best. TalkTalk scored 77% in Ofcom's 2025 customer satisfaction survey — the lowest of the major ISPs — while Zen scored 84% from Which?. The right ISP choice depends on your priorities: price, service quality, contract length, or symmetric upload speeds.

Compare Broadband Deals at Your Address

Enter your postcode on CompareFibre to see which CityFibre-based ISPs — including Cuckoo and others — are available at your address. You can compare speeds, prices, and contract terms side by side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I buy broadband directly from CityFibre?

No. CityFibre is a wholesale network infrastructure company and does not sell broadband to consumers. You need to sign up through one of its retail ISP partners such as Vodafone, TalkTalk, Zen Internet, or Cuckoo.

Is CityFibre better than Openreach?

Both are full fibre FTTP networks. CityFibre's main advantage is symmetric upload speeds — 900Mbps up as well as down — whereas Openreach FTTP offers around 110Mbps upload on its 900Mbps plans. Openreach has far greater national coverage. The better choice depends on your location and which ISPs are available.

How many UK homes can get CityFibre broadband?

As of early 2026, CityFibre had passed approximately 4.5–4.7 million UK premises across 95+ towns and cities. The network is expanding, so check cityfibre.com or the relevant ISP's postcode checker for current coverage.

What happened to FibreHop on CityFibre?

FibreHop was an independent ISP that sold consumer broadband on the CityFibre network. In September 2025, its customer base was acquired by Zen Internet. Existing FibreHop customers were migrated to Zen, which also sells CityFibre-based packages.

Related Guides

Vodafone Fibre Broadband Deals · TalkTalk Fibre Broadband Deals · Zen Fibre Broadband Deals · Cuckoo Broadband Deals · Openreach and CityFibre Guide

Methodology

This guide is based on publicly available data from Ofcom, provider websites, and independent sources including ISPreview.co.uk, Thinkbroadband, and Point Topic. Pricing, speeds, and availability were verified in April 2026 and are subject to change. CompareFibre is editorially independent — providers do not pay for placement or influence our recommendations.