A Scottish IT provider is set to transform how Internet connections can be supplied to businesses in Aberdeenshire and Moray after gaining exclusive access to a pioneering wireless network.
Aberdeen-based Converged Communication Solutions has signed an agreement that will enable it to provide superfast broadband connections, with speeds of up to 1Gbps (Gigabits per second), to firms in communities across north-east Scotland.
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The well-established wireless network brings the cost of accessing high-speed Internet connections within easy reach of small and medium-sized businesses in Aberdeenshire and Moray. In rural and semi-rural parts of these areas the cost of installing fibre optic cabling, which would offer similar speeds, would be prohibitive. This wireless network will provide businesses with a reliable, high-quality service. The installation process is quick, with minimal disruption and is more cost-effective than traditional landline alternatives.
Operational since 2011, the wireless network was created to support high capacity and high availability traffic for extensive public sector use across the Grampian region. It uses a network of aerials – installed at 380 sites in 160 towns and villages – rather than telephone cables to deliver these high-speed data services. Typically, broadband speeds of 20 – 500Mbps (Megabits per second) are delivered to end users.
The deal gives Converged the facility to add to this network, which provides comprehensive coverage between Laurencekirk and Glenshee in the south, and Fraserburgh and Forres in the north.
Internet connection speeds in rural areas have been a contentious issue for some time. The continued growth of the digital economy and the drive by service providers to move facilities online means businesses, regardless of size or sector, are under greater pressure to have access to fast and reliable Internet connections.
Converged, which specialises in providing Internet connections, telephone systems and IT support services to businesses, already has a number of customers operational on the network. This includes companies at the Core Business Park at Murcar, and firms in Oldmeldrum, Fyvie, Bucksburn, Dunecht and Kemnay.
In striking this deal to have exclusive access to the wireless network, it further strengthens the robust connectivity network that Converged has established in recent years. Alongside direct access to Openreach exchanges in the north-east, the firm has strategic partnerships with CityFibre and brightsolid, and has plans to further expand its network in the coming months.
Neil Christie, managing director of Converged, said: “This network has the potential to be a game changer for business in north-east Scotland. It reaches into rural and semi-rural parts of Aberdeenshire and Moray, connecting companies to a superfast broadband network. Delivering speeds that those firms thought could not be achieved due to their location.
“From Laurencekirk to Lossiemouth and Braemar to Boddam, we are confident that from 95% of businesses can connect to the wireless network. There may be areas where due to the natural topography that access is more restricted, but our team will investigate all possibilities.
“We are very excited to have access to this network and for the potential it offers. Internet connectivity is at the heart of business today and Converged is committed to supporting businesses to work more efficiently and productively.”