Gamma unveils ‘forgotten’ ultrafast broadband network
TELECOMS firm Gamma is making an ultrafast broadband network available in Manchester that has lain dormant for 10 years.
It has set up a new division called The Loop, led by managing director Ashley Griffiths, to market the network which was installed ahead of the Commonwealth Games and runs around the city taking in Trafford Park, Salford Quays and east Manchester.
Some 48 miles of fibre, offering speeds of one gigabyte per second, were put in the ground by Atlantic Telecom which went into administration in 2002. Its assets, which also included a national fibre network, were valued at £300m, but Gamma picked them up for £1.3m and has since built a national telecoms firm with revenues of £135m.
According to the company Manchester City Council forgot the network existed and its presence only came to light following research by the think tank New Economy.
Now Gamma sees the chance to play a role in Manchester’s ambitions to become a ‘tech city’, tapping into demand among media firms in the city’s Northern Quarter, at MediaCityUK and at The Sharp Project, which has already been linked up to the service. The company hopes that 4G mobile services, which should be available by Christmas, will enable more companies to connect to the network.
Chief executive Bob Falconer said: “We recognise that Manchester aspires to be the UK’s tech city and needs the very best in connectivity to achieve this, and we want to help the city realise this ambition.
“Today it would cost tens of millions to install this level of cabling from scratch and cause massive disruption by digging up the roads. This is a fantastic asset which we want to chare with businesses in the city.”
Last month it was announced Manchester will get £12m from the Government to deliver ultrafast broadband to 27,700 residents and 6,200 businesses by 2015. The procurement process is being run by Transport for Greater Manchester and Mr Falconer said Gamma is interested in bidding.
Other telecoms groups such as BT and Virgin Media have their own fibre networks in Manchester but Gamma claims The Loop is more extensive and runs to many areas that are currently unserved.
“Nobody else has anything like this because no one in their right mind would build it,” said Mr Falconer. “It came about through a very particular set of circumstances – the Commonwealth Games and the dotcom boom.”
Gamma launched a service on the network shortly after buying it but it failed to take off. Since then it has rented parts of it to other operators, such as Metronet. The Newbury-based firm, founded by Paul Banner and Phil Corbishley in 2001, has 400 staff with around 85 at its technical base in Trafford Park.
