The deal is the first major contract award from the UK’s biggest  alternative broadband network which plans to hook up five million homes to full fibre broadband by 2025.

The £2.5bn programme will see town and city-wide construction contracts awarded over the next few years.

Preparatory construction work began in Edinburgh in November last year and Amey is now looking to recruit a 300-strong local team.

Greg Mesch, Chief Executive at CityFibre said: “Amey has a formidable reputation in the sector and we are delighted to have them onboard for our flagship Gigabit City rollout in Edinburgh. T

“his project represents a long, stable, city-wide build that will enable Amey to resource confidently and deliver at pace. This is expected to be the start of our partnership and that it will soon expand to cover further city builds across the country.”

Andy Milner, Chief Executive at Amey said: “As a trusted provider of utility services, we’re looking forward to working with CityFibre on this flagship project in a transparent and collaborative way, to deliver a service that adds value, benefits local residents and in turn helps Edinburgh become a truly intelligently connected city.”