Alongside its partners, Diva Telecom and Exa Networks, CityFibre has made targeted its internet services at thousands of large businesses, start-ups and public services including schools, libraries and hospitals.
One of the first businesses to benefit was Vortex, which specialises in developing ecommerce platforms for a wide range of businesses. Bruce Mead, Managing Director at Vortex said: “We connected to the gigabit network when we opened our first office in Leeds. It was perfect timing as having access to ultrafast internet speeds is vital for our line of work, so connecting to CityFibre’s network enabled the Leeds team to really hit the ground running.”
Speaking on behalf of The Ricci Group, Operations Director Jody Monteith explains how gigabit connectivity has benefited their Leeds-based restaurant and bar: "We have a very large venue, and there can often be four or five different events going on at once. Everything back of house is run off and dictated by an Internet connection - so having a really powerful, well-operated Internet provider and system [DarkLight] is just vital; and Exa Networks and CityFibre have given that to us.”
Keith Hale, Managing Director at risk management software company GDS Link, which connected last August said: “We saw huge improvements in our productivity after just a couple of weeks of being connected to the gigabit network. It’s given us the ability to experience a whole new level of internet capabilities – we were expecting it to be amazing and it lives up to our expectations.”
Jason Petrou-Brown, Business Development Manager at CityFibre added: “A year on, it is really fantastic to see where Gigabit City status has taken Leeds and to watch businesses in the city and surrounding area thrive thanks to the competitiveness and productivity boost full-fibre connectivity provides.
“Connectivity is no longer simply about internet access - it now underpins a business’ entire operational capability. This investment, therefore, is enabling Leeds’ to grow its reputation as an attractive place to locate as a business as well as meet the demands of the digital age for many decades to come.”