Small businesses and co-working spaces in Cardiff are among the first to benefit from the city’s new full fibre broadband network, being delivered by Ogi – Wales’s largest alternative telecoms provider.
Announced in March this year [2023], it’s taken Ogi less than six months to install the initial phase of Cardiff’s newest high-speed network, bringing much needed connectivity solutions to the east of the city centre.
Available in the East Moors district to begin with, this new Gigabit-capable full fibre network will eventually rollout across Cardiff Bay, Dumballs Road and the city’s new Capital Quarter in Ogi’s first phase plans for the capital.
The latest move brings Nokia’s next-generation full fibre technology to even more business across the city, as existing operators continue to offer expensive leased line services over the aging copper networks.
Two of the city’s most established business hubs, The Maltings and Workbench, are ready top migrate to the new network, giving over 100 independent start and scale-up businesses access to the UK’s fastest network.
This multimillion pound privately funded investment comes off the back of Ogi’s rollout in commuter towns like Blackwood, Dinas Powys, Maesteg and Pontypool, where thousands of local homes and businesses are already benefiting from the Welsh providers ultrafast, ultra-reliable broadband products and services.
Unlike its competitors, Ogi brings a suite of managed services and business tools to the mix too with ‘Ogi Pro’, offering businesses everything from firewall security to Microsoft licences, phone lines and consultancy services.
Commenting on the news, Ogi’s Chief Executive Officer, Ben Allwright, said: “This is good news for businesses in the city at a time when everyone is looking for cost effective ways to do more for less.
“Fast and dependable connectivity has never been more important, and with the big data age arriving at our doorstep, we’re ready to equip businesses with the tools they need to not only survive but thrive.
“Full fibre lines capable of between 2Gbps to 10Gbps symmetrical speeds will soon be available for the very first time over the dedicated bespoke network, meaning businesses will have the option to expand where they are rather than move away from the city.”
Workbench Managing Director, and Ogi Pro customer, Jason Gill, added: “The speeds we’re talking about here are phenomenal. With businesses increasingly moving and consuming large amounts of data, the need for a fast and dependable connection is vital.
“Ogi are providing this and, with a suite of solutions that rival the traditional leased line offer and an expert support team based just around the corner, it really feels like we’re extending the team, rather than buying in services – and with this tech we can confidently attract new business to our Workbench sites.”
Ogi’s new bespoke network is set to offer speeds more than 10-times faster than Cardiff’s average broadband download speed of around 99Mbps [Fair Internet Report].
The first phase rollout is expected to be completed by early 2024, with services switched on in stages across the city. This is part of Ogi’s initial phase to bring full fibre connectivity to 150,000 premises across south Wales – and signifies its first move into a major city centre area.
