Officially launched today, The Shoreditch Network is working to deliver a high-speed fibre infrastructure and secure cloud services to a cluster of businesses in East London.
As the UK government keeps highlighting the importance of Britain becoming a centre for technical and financial excellence and companies like Amazon, Google and Huawei invest big money in further development, there is a need for the critical infrastructures to be updated and support this ideal.
This means that not only businesses working in technology be able to use the tools they need to create and grow business, but also elements such as office space to rent and of course places to live need to be accessibly-priced to encourage a stable community.
The Shoreditch Network is a step along this path, it’s a collaboration between three Tech City-based businesses – bandwidth infrastructure provider euNetworks, leading cloud hosting provider Carrenza, and network specialists Optimity.
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The East London tech area is bandwidth hungry to say the least. euNetworks has already started connecting a number of buildings in the Shoreditch area to its high-speed fibre network. It is now rolling out to reach more buildings and streets in the area.
Saving money and time
The Shoreditch Network will deliver scalable bandwidth, networking and cloud based IT services to local businesses so that startups especially can grow naturally while not worrying so much about whether the connectivity they may need will be available.
As startups are often both nimble and cash-strapped the services are quick to install and according to the project, at least 20% cheaper than current alternatives. According to The Shoreditch Network, for 50Mb dedicated Internet access, alternative suppliers’ ‘standard lead time’ was between 45 and 70 working days. The Shoreditch Networks’ lead time is 10 working days. For point-to-point 1Gigabit Ethernet, the alternative supplier quoted 33-60 working days. The Shoreditch Network’s lead time is 20 working days or less for this service.
The hope is that the network will not only support the existing businesses in the area but also draw in other big players from around the world. Culture Secretary Maria Miller welcomed the arrival of the Shoreditch Network, saying: “Tech City is a real British success story, and this initiative will help it go from strength to strength. Ultra-fast connectivity and cloud services will help attract even more tech and digital companies to Shoreditch, helping bring fresh investment and new jobs to the capital.”
High speeds and a greener initiative
The Shoreditch Network has already pre-connected several shared offices within Shoreditch to its fibre network, and using radio links can quickly and securely connect (within two weeks) many more offices in Shoreditch.
According to the company, almost all office buildings within Shoreditch can be directly connected to the fibre network based on tests to date. That just leaves the rest of the UK to get some high-speed connections at home and at work outside of the capital.
Along with providing change for businesses, the arrival of tech companies in the area will also have an impact on the environment. Also launching today, Carbon Voyage and RDC have joined forces to launch an IT recycling initiative to promote greater sustainability efforts in Tech City.
The free scheme will enable companies to call upon the service and have unwanted IT equipment picked up from their premises for recycling. Proceeds generated from the recycling can then be passed on to The Prince’s Trust, which supports unemployed young people into jobs.
Image Credit: Ewan Munro
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