FibreSpeed, the carrier grade fibre network, is celebrating five years of successfully providing world-class digital communications to North Wales. Throughout this time it has maintained 100% availability of its network and helped reduce the cost of high speed digital communications in North Wales by up to 90%.
The company originally received strategic investment from the Welsh Government and the European Regional Development Fund prior to the BDUK (Broadband Delivery UK) initiative. It now offers its wholesale high bandwidth network capacity as an independent organisation – the only successful regional programme of this type not let to BT. It provides high speed network connectivity (via partners acting as internet service providers) for local businesses and residents via its fibre network that runs from Holyhead to Manchester.
Claire Bayley, project director at FibreSpeed, said; “Our latest services mean that FibreSpeed service partners can provide end users with some of the fastest internet speeds in the country and with market leading reliability. Our cable is the backbone for connections across North Wales and even notoriously difficult to reach rural communities such as Treuddyn and Rhiwlas can enjoy connectivity through innovative wireless extensions provided by our partners. Three fibre optic sub-sea cables are also now interconnected with the FibreSpeed Network putting North Wales directly between the major ICT hubs of Dublin and Manchester.”
FibreSpeed recently completed a significant capacity upgrade of its network, which allows even more businesses to access its fast, reliable, digital communications services. By concentrating on provision of the network backbone and working with service providers to provide connections, FibreSpeed is already used by more than 350 businesses and more than 1,800 domestic households. Its service partners are able to deliver to end users the infrastructure needed for VOIP telephony, teleconferencing, collaborative design, streaming TV services and cloud-based services in a beautiful but relatively remote part of the country.
Claire Bayley concluded; “FibreSpeed is making a significant contribution towards connecting digital Wales. The network is enabling businesses of all sizes and types in several key locations to take advantage of the high capacity digital communications they need to be globally competitive. In addition, by delivering effective remote working capabilities, the FibreSpeed network attracts high-value jobs to the region and is therefore becoming a true strategic economic asset for Wales.”