High-speed digital communications have arrived in North Wales following the launch of Fibrespeed, a uniquely-funded £30 million project bringing the benefits of fibre optic technology to businesses and individuals for the first time.

The region will now compare with London and the South East for affordable, high speed and high bandwidth internet communication access thanks to a new 200-mile fibre optic conduit linking towns and business parks with the existing high-speed network in England.

Fibrespeed was officially launched by Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones (November 27) at Technium CAST in Parc Menai near Bangor – one of the strategic locations chosen  to be amongst the first to gain access to the new service starting in Spring 2009.

Mr Jones applauded the success of the partnership between private enterprise and the Welsh Assembly Government – a UK-first for a project of this kind – which has created Fibrespeed.

Speaking at the launch, he said: “This is a perfect example of the Government and the private sector working together to deliver real advantage to the Welsh economy. This vision could not have been delivered by Government alone – it could only be delivered through partnership.

Speaking to businesses the length and breadth of the country, I know that one of the key things they want from such partnerships is excellent broadband connectivity. Responding to that call, we are celebrating a major step forward with Fibrespeed.”

Fibrespeed’s launch marks the first phase of a long-term Assembly Government programme to make affordable high bandwidth services available throughout Wales. Previously, high speed services in North Wales were up to 6 times more expensive than those in London and the South East, hindering business growth and innovation.

The Welsh Assembly Government has estimated that the net economic benefits of FibreSpeed across north Wales could deliver an increase in Gross Value Added (GVA) of up to £29 million per annum for each of the next 10 years.

Chris Smedley, Chief Executive of Fibrespeed, said: “Without optical fibre networks, economies cannot evolve. They are the new roads and railways of the 21st century and beyond. FibreSpeed is boosting ICT capacity allowing innovation and new services to be delivered to customers and end users. It is stimulating business and encouraging inward investment into North Wales.”

Businesses and home users will not be the only ones to benefit from Fibrespeed. It’s an opportunity for communications specialists to sell products and services based on the high capacity and high speeds the optical fibre network provides. Already 12 service providers have come on board, ready to sell services to the end user.

These service providers will also be able to expand the network’s reach so that business and home users located near – but not on – the fibre optic route will be able to connect to it.

Mr Jones said the creation of the Fibrespeed network was only the first step, and that businesses now had to embrace the technology available to them.

He added: “We want the businesses and the communities here in North Wales to engage with us and with the service providers, because we must continue to raise our game.

I am confident that working together, Government and businesses can drive up the performance of the economy here in North Wales so that we can all benefit from the increased prosperity that it will bring.”

ABOUT FIBRESPEED

Fibrespeed Ltd operates the wholesale open access network which brings affordable high speed communications services to businesses across North Wales. This is through a 320km network of optical fibre cabling, connecting Holyhead in Anglesey, Caernarfon in Gwynedd, along the North Wales corridor and down to Wrexham, and linking to the UK’s fibre backbone in Manchester.

Fibrespeed will stimulate economic growth and encourage enterprise in the region by giving North Wales’ businesses access to the UK’s most modern communications infrastructure. It will also create a vibrant new retail market for service providers, who will be able to sell affordable voice and data services in the region for the first time using Fibrespeed infrastructure.

27 November 2008, Bangor. Fibrespeed, a high speed, open access communications network that will close the ‘digital divide’ between North Wales and the rest of the UK, will be officially launched by Ieuan Wyn Jones, Deputy First Minister of Wales and Minister for the Economy and Transport, on Thursday afternoon at 1pm on 27 November 2008 at Technium CAST, Parc Menai in Bangor.

A unique collaboration between the public and private sectors, Fibrespeed is the first Government supported communications network of its kind to be delivered in the UK and is set to transform the regional economy. Stretching over 200 miles between Holyhead in Anglesey and the UK’s core network in Manchester, Fibrespeed will bring high speed communications services to key business parks and other areas throughout North Wales.

Fibrespeed has been funded by £30 million of investment from the Welsh Assembly Government, European Regional Development Funds and Geo Networks Ltd. Its launch marks the first phase of a long-term Welsh Assembly Government programme to make affordable high bandwidth services available throughout Wales. Currently, high speed services in the North Wales can be up to six times more expensive than in London and the South East, creating a barrier to business growth and innovation.

By giving service providers wholesale access to the high capacity optical fibre infrastructure, Fibrespeed is creating a vibrant new communications market in the region. Its wholesale pricing structure is comparable to that offered in London and South East England, enabling service providers to offer homes and businesses highly competitive services. Service providers will also be able to extend the network reach to more rural areas throughout the region via their own network infrastructure or wireless solutions.

Fibrespeed’s opening on 27 November at Parc Menai will begin with a special event for service providers, with the official launch beginning at 1.30pm with a speech from Ieuan Wyn Jones. This will be followed by presentations from Gareth Hall, Director of the Department for the Economy and Transport from the Welsh Assembly Government and Chris Smedley, Chief Executive of FibreSpeed.

Professor Gareth Hughes, Chief Executive of eris@ will outline the significance of this innovative collaboration from a European perspective. eris@ represents over 40 European regions and helps shape European policy. It is also responsible for the European Commission’s European Broadband Portal involving public interventions in broadband deployment in rural, remote and sparsely-populated regions.

Chris Smedley commented: “Access to high speed communications has been highlighted as a critical part of success in the modern world, spanning every aspect of life from children’s performance at school to businesses’ ability to compete in the global economy.

Fibrespeed will allow North Wales to compete on a level playing field with the rest of the UK for the first time. Its world class infrastructure will create a new local telecoms market while giving businesses the opportunity to innovate, grow or relocate to the region.”

Ieuan Wyn Jones, Deputy First Minister of Wales and Minister for the Economy and Transport, commented: “Networks such as FibreSpeed offer a workable way through this problem. They allow the public and private sectors to share infrastructure and, through selling space to service providers, see the benefits cascade down to businesses and homes in the form of high speed connections and lower bills.”