Transport for Wales has launched a state-of-the-art, full-fibre wholesale network that will allow companies the chance to provide high-speed internet connectivity for communities in the South Wales valleys.

Known as TfW Ffeibr (Fibre), the network was established by Transport for Wales after a full-fibre network was installed while the South Wales Metro was being constructed.

The network is owned by Transport for Wales but is configured so that Internet Service Providers and telecom companies can plug into it and offer their own high-speed internet services to their customers.

Although TfW Ffeibr is owned by Transport for Wales, it is a commercially separate initiative.

The new network demonstrates Transport for Wales’s commitment to equality by providing easy access to the internet for work, play, and learning, and easy connection with others, whatever their needs.

By creating the new subsidiary, Transport for Wales is helping businesses to drive this opportunity forward and realise its potential advantages for both the company and the Welsh economy.

By providing businesses with world-leading high-bandwidth, digital connectivity, TfW Ffeibr will enable significant inward investment to be made in the region for businesses such as data centres, the AI sector, manufacturing, large-scale film and TV production and other next-generation industries. It will also reduce areas of digital poverty in South Wales and contribute to regional economic development.

More detailed information about the new development is on its website at www.tfwffeibr.wales 

Earlier this month, Transport for Wales celebrated a landmark for Britain’s railways when its electric ‘tri-mode’ trains started operational passenger services.

“We’re extremely proud and excited to be launching TfW Ffeibr today, to provide a state-of-the-art high-speed network for companies to use and sell within valley communities. We’ve been carrying out huge infrastructure works in the valleys, electrifying the railway line as part of the South Wales Metro and this presented us with an opportunity to also build the infrastructure for a high-speed core network. The South Wales Metro project is about physically connecting people and TfW Ffeibr is about connecting people in the digital world. At TfW, we’re fully aligned to the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act and this new subsidiary business reinforces our commitment to improving the lives of people in Wales.”

Alexia Course, Chief Commercial Officer at Transport for Wales