£100k Superconnected Cities investment enhances Bradford Businesses

The government-backed Superconnected West Yorkshire programme has now made a Bradford business centre one of Yorkshire’s best connected office developments due to an investment of over £100,000, after 39 of its tenant businesses signed up for the high-speed internet.

The high-speed internet connection, installed by Leeds-based IT services and support group LDD, at Carlisle Business Centre in Manningham was finally achieved due to the region’s largest partnership application for superfast connectivity under the Superconnected Cities scheme.

As a result of the £100,000 grant, the business centre, which houses more than 80 businesses, charities and social ventures, currently supplies a committed 1Gb capacity fibre backbone and high speed wi-fi accessible throughout the entire building.

Sam Keighley, Carlisle Business Centre chief executive, said: “For the businesses based here, superfast connectivity creates the ideal environment they need to grow and create new jobs, right here in Bradford, and it is already providing an economic boost to the city.

“We provide office accommodation to a diverse range of small organisations and being able to offer businesses high speed internet connectivity, funded by up to £3,000 under the Superconnected Cities scheme, puts us on another level in terms of our appeal to potential tenants.”

Furthermore, as part of the government’s £100m Superconnected Cities programme, the connection voucher scheme allows small businesses to connect to superfast internet services. The programme recently became available to cover SME businesses in the rest of West Yorkshire and Craven, as well as Leeds and Bradford.

John Duncan, business development officer at Superconnected West Yorkshire, said: “The £100,000 of joint applications at Carlisle Business Centre will directly boost the capability of these Bradford businesses, enabling them to compete successfully and employ more people. There is tremendous momentum behind the scheme now, with more organisations signing up every day.

“Landlords can connect a whole multi-tenanted property by using a joint application, whether that’s an industrial estate, office park, or an individual property. By clubbing together to receive a large grant, not only do tenants receive a free connection, it also means that the monthly costs can be shared, so businesses can receive a high quality, business grade line, for a reasonable monthly fee.”