Manchester companies to get superfast business broadband

Companies across Manchester are to be given access to superfast business broadband speeds following a successful campaign.

Hundreds of people signed a petition calling for providers to deliver improved services to the north-west city and suppliers have now confirmed they will be rolling out the technology soon.

Manchester-based companies will now get the chance to subscribe to business broadband speeds as fast as 1gb, which is as fast as is currently available anywhere in the UK.

Business broadband is becoming increasingly important to organisations of all shapes and sizes across all different types of industries and those without a fast and reliable connection to the internet may find they are left behind by their rivals.

Local MP Lucy Powell was among those who campaigned for improvements to the supply of broadband in Manchester and she told bdaily: "It is simply unacceptable that you can get better broadband speeds in parts of rural Cumbria than you can in the centre of Manchester. I'm committed to working with councillors and internet providers to improve the service on offer to residents and businesses."

Councillor Kevin Peel was also involved in the petition and he added: "I'm delighted that our petition has received such a positive response from the industry. I look forward to residents being able to access hyper-fast fibre optic broadband from a range of providers in the coming months."

Companies can currently access government funding worth thousands of pounds to cover the cost of upgrading their business broadband. Technology has been one of the key areas for the coalition government, but take-up of the voucher scheme has been slow and it was recently retooled in a bid to build more awareness among organisations that are eligible for the grants.

Around 2,000 homes and businesses in Trafford were recently given access to superfast technology after the rollout of new technology was completed in the area. Councillor Michael Hyman, executive member for economic growth and planning, stated that it will be "fantastic news" for Trafford-based people and companies.

Businesses looking to move services into the cloud should evaluate the performance of their existing network and consider setting up a leased line or MPLS network.

(Image: Kings Sutton)