Next generation broadband piloted
THE North West is piloting the next generation of broadband connectivity, thanks to a £500,000 funding project.
Corridor Manchester, the agency driving the 600 acre zone from St Peter’s Square down to Whitworth Park – was unveiling the pioneering scheme today.
The project, funded by the North West Development Agency, is the first phase towards a new digital infrastructure for the city.
It will directly connect 500 businesses and 1,000 homes in the Oxford Road area with fibre optic lines which will increase broadband speeds by up to 100 times than they are now.
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester city council said: “Even at this time of economic downturn Manchester has ambitious plans for its knowledge economy.
“We are committed to delivering Digital Britain and next generation broadband, and this new advanced infrastructure will help create exciting innovative new applications for the Internet which will benefit our residents and businesses.”
Jackie Potter, chief executive of Corridor Manchester – the new name for the City South Partnership – said: “One of the key aims for Corridor Manchester is to drive economic growth in the Oxford Road area of the city. By providing high speed broadband we can not only help the universities, schools and hospital network enhance their services but also attract new businesses to the city.”
Damien Bourke, policy and partnership manager for NWDA, said:
“This is the first step on a journey to help make Manchester an increasingly competitive international city – a city in which businesses can find new and sustainable markets which in turn will help drive the regional economy.”
Work to install the fibre will begin in the summer, with the first cluster of properties online by the end of the year.
Once the first phase of fibre installation is completed, it is intended to expand project by rolling it out across Manchester, starting with east Manchester area.
Expansion plans also include the creation a new Internet infrastructure hub at the former Sharp factory site at Newton Heath in east Manchester.
Corridor Manchester brings together Manchester city council, the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to build on the partners’ investments in the Oxford Road area of Manchester and to generate further economic growth and investment.
