Why do schools need gigabit-capable Internet access?

Written by Chris Farrar on July 5, 2021. Posted in Digital Trade, gigabit cities, infrastructure, Internet Provider. Leave a Comment

School life is a fundamental part of growing up.

Connecting with friends, learning new things and having different experiences all count towards the development of a young child’s path to a successful adulthood.

And reliable Internet access is at the heart of all of these contributors.

Without it, children miss out on learning and potentially a sense of belonging – especially when they’re not able to stay in touch with friends and teachers.

Overall, the coronavirus pandemic has revealed the scale of the digital divide within the education sector.

An Ofcom report from 2020 estimates between 1.m and 1.8m children in the UK do not have access to a laptop, mobile or tablet at home.

Gigabit-capable full fibre Internet access is a game-changing technology for schools and communities.

It means educational institutions can receive more value for less money – meaning they are able to allocate more funds to helping those pupils in digital poverty.

With the growing popularity of online learning tools and interactive digital textbooks, gigabit Internet allows teachers to download the largest of learning resources within a matter of seconds.

Furthermore, complex tasks like migrating to the cloud as an administrative platform for file management and data storage services become seamless, ultrafast and highly responsive.

In schools with gigabit Internet, pupils now have equal opportunity to learn, have fun and create memories in this digital-age.

And schools that have invested into pure fibre gigabit Internet enjoy 20 times faster connectivity than the average UK households (FTTC).

Gigabit Internet speeds are considered the gold standard for Internet users – as they can support an unlimited number of users and devices.

Moving forwards, those educational institutions that are at the forefront of the digital transformation will be more versatile to online learning, have safer digital storage and enjoy the enablement of advanced learning concepts such as AR and VR.

To find out more on how Gigabit Networks are helping to bridge the digital divide in schools, click here to see information about our partnership with Internet4Schools.

To speak to one of our team about transforming the digital performance of your school, simply fill out the form on this page and we will get back to you shortly.

Gigabit Networks & Internet4Schools Partnership: Schools in the Midlands to get internet access at gigabit speeds

Written by Nicole Dixon on July 5, 2021. Posted in Featured News, infrastructure, Internet Provider, Technologies. Leave a Comment

Gigabit Networks – the Midlands champion for ultrafast internet – and Internet4Schools are today announcing a partnership that will drive internet speeds in schools up to gigabit speeds.

For many schools this will represent at least a 10-times increase in current speeds, enabling more apps, digital learning and better-quality remote learning if required in the future. The Midlands-wide initiative combines next-gen internet technology with industry-leading content filtering and safe-guarding services – to bring world-class, fast and safe, connectivity to schools in the Midlands.

“This partnership brings together expertise in digital products and a comprehensive understanding of the future of technology in the education sector.” said Chris Kastel, MD of Internet4Schools. “It is really exciting to announce a partnership with Gigabit Networks – together we will deliver gigabit-capable internet access which will accelerate the learning and development of pupils in an ever-evolving online world.”

The technology enables teachers’ activities such as advanced-lesson planning as well as concepts such as augmented and virtual reality – that rely on ultra-reliable connectivity – that can advance and accelerate children’s online learning and educational development.

Gigabit Networks, based in Leicester, works exclusively with CityFibre to deliver its connectivity. Its mission is to bridge the digital divide in the Midlands. CityFibre is investing over £5Bn across the UK to build a completely new and independent full fibre network with a significant amount of that committed to the Midlands. Because the CityFibre network is new, prices for the world-grade internet speeds are now more affordable.

Pure fibre connectivity from Gigabit Networks – allows for symmetrical download and uploads speeds of up to 1Gbps – more than 20 times faster than the UK average.

“Partnering with Internet4Schools provides a fantastic opportunity to advance the digital transformation in the Midlands education sector.” said David Yates, Co-Founder of Gigabit Networks. “Internet4Schools has a deep understanding of the digital needs and requirements of schools and has a track record of delivering exceptional services to the region. We are delighted to partner with them.”

To find out more about the service for your school – visit the Internet4Schools website here, or contact Gigabit Networks here.

The Future of UK Business with Gigabit: £43.15bn Projected Economic Impact

Written by Nicole Dixon on May 18, 2021. Posted in Internet Provider, gigabit cities, infrastructure, Technologies. Leave a Comment

What would you do with lightning fast, 1Gbps-speed internet?

Download a full-length HD movie in 12 seconds? Or get your hands on Call of Duty: Warzone in less than 5 minutes?

This is just the tip of the iceberg for the future of internet use in the U.K – thanks to Gigabit Networks and CityFibre.

No More Copper with Gigabit PureFibre

Current copper broadband infrastructure that is common in the UK is old, outdated and restricts you from doing the things that matter.

Weather can easily damage or cut out your connection, fix times are slow – and we all know the curse of peak-time streaming hours.

By switching to PureFibre, these worries are a thing of the past.

Gigabit internet presents to the UK an amazing opportunity in economic growth and business development.

Because of outdated digital infrastructure, one in five businesses in the UK are currently struggling with an unreliable internet connection.

And did you know that every employee lose on average a week of productivity every year due to slow internet speed?

Gigabit PureFibre has the ability to accelerate and future-proof any business premises – by equipping its employees with a virtually limitless capacity.

Enabling Economic Growth

Over the next 15 years, it is predicted that Gigabit PureFibre – provided on the multi-billion pound, Goldman Sachs-backed CityFibre network – will benefit the UK with a £43.15bn total economic impact (according to research conducted by Regeneris). This ranges from benefits in the healthcare sector, to private housing and businesses and start-ups of all sizes, up and down the country.

The breakdown of this research is as follows:

The future is digital – and Gigabit Networks are dedicated to providing businesses in the UK with the tools they need to remain competitive, and do their jobs as easily and carefree as possible.

There are currently over half a million premises live on the CityFibre network, with a plan to expand to over 5 million premises by 2025. You can check if your business premises has Gigabit capability here.

Go Bigger on your bandwidth, productivity, accessibility and internet speeds – with PureFibre from Gigabit Networks. Read more about our products here.

Cancel the Curse of Copper Connections: What is a good upload speed?

Written by Nicole Dixon on May 12, 2021. Posted in infrastructure, Digital Trade, E-Commerce, Featured News, Internet Provider, Technologies. Leave a Comment

Why is my upload speed so slow?!

Have you ever noticed that your uploads seem to take light years to complete compared to your downloads – slowing down the efficiency of you or your colleagues?

When debating over which ISP to go with, some consumers don’t check for upload speed or aren’t aware of the difference when considering which contract to enter.

You may be tempted to go straight to one of the ‘big guys’ with their guaranteed download speeds – but many providers don’t list specific upload speeds in their large print, misleading businesses who need more bandwidth than they can offer.

It’s also common to see broadband providers supply details of upload speeds over 90% slower than their subsequent download speed.

Why doesn’t my ISP care about my upload speeds?

Chances are, they probably do.

But the issue isn’t with your provider hogging your upload bandwidth – it comes down to the limited capabilities and lack of availability of bandwidth with standard internet infrastructure.

Common, copper broadband that is present in the majority of U.K homes and businesses doesn’t have the capability to handle high upload speeds. They were built over two decades ago with a completely different purpose.

In the 90’s, it was assumed the internet would be used for the consumption of content as opposed to the supply of content. This means that our upload speeds will always pale in comparison to downloads on a standard, copper broadband connection in the UK.

This isn’t so bad for consumers at home who need that Warzone download quickly or want to stream the Drag Race finale – but detrimental to some businesses who rely on their upload speed for their employees to do their job properly.

Slow internet speeds alone cause brands to lose 38 hours a year in productivity, per employee – potentially costing days more for those employees constantly uploading large documents, images or videos.

What is a good upload speed?

A ‘good’ upload speed is all dependent on what you use it for and how much you rely on uploading large files and media to complete everyday tasks. The amount of bandwidth required for uploads will change depending on what you’re using it for.

There are hundreds of job roles in the U.K. which place the same amount of importance on upload speed, as download speed – possibly more.

Take the job of a radiographer for example. Their job wouldn’t be possible without the ability to quickly upload super high-quality images taken from their multiple radiographic examinations throughout the day and night – regardless of number of users, or peak usage hours.

A hospital’s internet speed and bandwidth must be capable of juggling connections and usage from thousands of devices, all downloading & uploading large files at the same time.

For creative employees such as video editors, streamers or graphic designers – it’s crucial to have the ability to provide your audience with relevant content when it matters, without the stress of a delay to upload or in streaming. Two-way communications are just as – if not more – important than simply downloads.

Hitting your audience with relevant, up-to-date content proves difficult when a simple 15 minute, 1080p video takes around 50 minutes to upload on a standard UK broadband speed (7mbps, UK 2020; calculator).

How can Gigabit internet help us ‘cancel the curse of copper connections’?

Don’t get tangled up in outdated copper wiring and opt for a PureFibre, Gigabit-capable connection instead.

PureFibre on the CityFibre network gives businesses minimum, GUARANTEED internet speeds both ways – for both uploads and downloads.

Modern connections are been developed, built and installed with the future of the internet in mind.

Using Gigabit Networks’ Ethernet Flex product, for example – uploading the same 15 minute, 1080p video above would take just 1 minute and 47 seconds (calculator) – so you can get your content where it needs to be, when you need it the most with no delay.

Factors you might not have even thought of, such as weather and maintenance, can also cause standard, copper connections to drop – detrimental to businesses who rely on their internet for operations.

Our 99.99% SLA and 6 Hour Guaranteed fix guarantees maximum uptime – meaning you don’t have to worry if the worst happens and your internet goes down. We won’t leave you in the dark – unlike some other ISP’s, who declare in their fine print that you could be left up to 5 business days before your connection is repaired and back online.

Our advice? Always check the fine print, and assess all of your employee and business needs when deciding on your internet provider. Assumptions based on product descriptions could leave you with an upload speed over 10 times slower than your downloads, or a 5 business day wait to fix your connection. Don’t be fooled by big name brands or confusing ISP jargon.

If you’d like to find out more about how our PureFibre, Gigabit Ethernet Flex Package will boost your businesses’ productivity, find out more here.

If you’d prefer to speak to someone about your specific business needs and how we can help streamline your business, book a no-pressure meeting with a Gigabit specialist to discuss the possibilities of Gigabit.

International Nurses Day 2021

Written by Chris Farrar on May 12, 2021. Posted in Internet Provider, infrastructure, Technologies. Leave a Comment

The previous year has been like no other in the healthcare sector.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the incredible dedication, hard work and sacrifice of our nurses into the spotlight like never before.

Along with it, fellow clinicians, essential key workers and vital resources were all pushed to the maximum.

On the 201^st anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth – the pioneer of good practice in modern nursing – we commemorate the profound good of healthcare staff and reflect on their amazing impact on our lives and those of our loved ones.

There is no doubt the coronavirus pandemic has brought new and unforeseen challenges to the health service with ever-changing processes and rising expectations.

And so the reach and scope of nursing practices during the pandemic to make such a meaningful and irreplaceable difference is both extremely remarkable and humbling.

From the team at Gigabit Networks, we are eternally grateful for the crucial role nurses play within our lives every single day.

Although it is difficult to imagine working through such a distressing, life-changing pandemic, we understand the resounding need to work together to support the frontline overcoming these challenges to treating patient health.

Gigabit Networks is trying to play our part with discounted offers for NHS facilities and care homes throughout the Midlands during the pandemic.

Gigabit Networks is proud to have installed gigabit Internet access in a major Midlands NHS trust.

So that patients can get their treatments faster, nurses can communicate reliably and important information is accessed instantly.

The global pandemic will be remembered for many things, but the way nurses, care workers and healthcare professionals have battled through is truly inspirational.

Looking into the future, we are always looking for ways to support our tremendous NHS through game-changing Internet connectivity.

ISPs – you get what you pay for

Written by Nicole Dixon on February 1, 2021. Posted in E-Commerce, infrastructure, Internet Provider.

ISPs

When it comes to internet service providers, you get what you pay for.

It is estimated that over 10m people in the UK are paying too much for their internet service, partly by not switching providers at the end of their contract not knowing what options are actually available on the market.

These internet connections are also often slow and powered by outdated copper wiring, despite ISPs promising pure-fibre speeds.

Some of the major ISPs on the market offer similar business products to Gigabit Networks’ game-changing ethernet GigaFlex, at prices ranging from £279 to over £400 a month.

This is up to £150 extra per month, with hidden T’s & C’s and complex jargon to add to the confusion of “which service is best for my business?”.

Ethernet Flex

With our pure-fibre GigaFlex package your business will not only be receiving some of the best quality and value for money internet speeds in the B2B market, but also the following:

Guaranteed 6 hour fix time
24/7 customer support
Up to £2,500 towards installation costs
Extremely low latency
MINIMUM 200mbps internet speeds, even during peak times
Speed boosts of up to 1Gbps, when you need them the most

With GigaFlex, you are guaranteed the speeds you sign up for, you can rest easy knowing we’re always on hand if there is a problem with your connection, and your business can access gigabit internet for one of the lowest prices on the market. You get what you pay for – and way more for less money.

What are you waiting for?

Check if your business is eligible for GigaFlex by clicking here.

Mental Health Matters: 124% increase in searches for online therapy

Written by Nicole Dixon on February 1, 2021. Posted in Digital Trade, E-Commerce, Featured News, gigabit cities, infrastructure, Internet Provider, Technologies.

Keeping happy is hard, especially in light of the current pandemic.

With a mental health crisis already taking hold of the UK, keeping connected is essential to continue caring for those suffering from depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.

The internet has provided critical treatment to so many throughout the COVID crisis, with counselling and therapy moving online to become virtual.

This step has helped many receive the right care to help them on their way to a brighter future.

With service speed being the top priority for many health care centres, PureFibre is essential for every health care setting, providing mental health assistance. This means that quick, qualitative and quantitative internet services provide the immediate care and assistance needed during this time.

Prepare now, not later

While mental health care has improved substantially in recent years, the number of people suffering from conditions has only increased exponentially.

Recent studies by the UK-based institutions Mental Health Foundation (1, 2) and Young Minds (3) indicate that the current pandemic has caused an increase in feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and suicidal thoughts across all age groups.

What this means is that pandemic’s effects on mental health are only just beginning to come into fruition. With treatment and counselling moving online, you’ve got to make sure you have dedicated internet and bandwidth that can provide urgent and necessary care now.

Here to help

Our gigabit internet services deliver to some of the highest speed connections and download speeds available to public settings. This will be keeping you up to date and online all the time, and allow practitioners and doctors to provide the very best of care to everybody in the comfort of their own homes.

Last year, studies showed that there was increase in 124% to searches for online counselling – the need for more reliable, healthcare support-capable digital infrastructure in the UK has never been more pressing.

Our GigaPure Ethernet Direct delivers up to 10Gbps and is monitored on a 24 hour basic so that we keep you up and running all of the time. Not only that, but our incredibly reliable service comes with guaranteed uptime SLA and a 6-hour fix, all at a fantastic price point.

Let us help you to provide the excellent mental health people need.
Get in contact with us today for details on our dedicated packages for health care settings.

The Need for Productivity-Boosting, Gigabit Internet Speeds in the UK

Written by Nicole Dixon on January 29, 2021. Posted in Digital Trade, E-Commerce, infrastructure, Internet Provider.

With internet usage more than doubling in 2020, it has come to light how impactful the pandemic was on our independent internet activity.

“Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives”. The message was clear, and we have worked together to save as many as we could at the expense of our freedom.

Yet almost a year after the UK’s first lockdown, the country has now entered its third.

Having spent months and months stuck inside their homes, the internet has become a channel to regains some of the freedoms people were missing.

Shopping, socialising, entertaining, teaching, working. The essential day-to-day activities that required people to be out and about all became digital in 2020.

Has the pandemic changed how we fundamentally complete these tasks?

With many curious what will happen after the pandemic, it has become obvious that the nations usage of the internet won’t slow down. But why should it?

On one hand, the internet has helped to provide comfort in a time of crisis; it has improved communications in health care settings when it was needed the most; and it shown many that they can work from home just as effectively as they could in the office.

On the other, it has shown us that a slow or unreliable internet connection can lead to frustration, isolation and lack of productivity in the virtual workplace.

In fact, a recent study by OnePoll showed that slow or unreliable internet connectivity resulted in an average loss of 1 week of productivity per employee per year.

Our Commitment to Productivity, Reliability and Speed

As we are transitioning into this new, digital era, it will be essential to ensure that everybody has access to internet that is productive, reliable, and speedy – what we pride ourselves for at Gigabit Networks.

Our PureFibre services will enable you and other workers to be as efficient and productive as possible in completing all tasks, big and small that require an internet connection.

Our modern, ultrafast, ultra-reliable connections mean online applications just work better and support many more concurrent users than standard broadband connections.

And it’s not just our prices that are fantastic – all of our services come with 24/7 support, guaranteed uptime SLA and a 6-hour guaranteed fix, so the reliability is amazing too.

The growth and expansion of internet usage in the UK is on a huge upward trajectory, showing no signs of slowing down – and with new COVID work restrictions in place, is there a better time to get ahead of the game and upgrade your internet?

Enquire with us today and have your chosen Ethernet internet package installed and ready to use when your staff are back in the office. Don’t fall victim to time-wasting internet – prepare for the post-COVID world and supercharge your employees’ productivity with superfast, reliable internet.

Check your availability for Gigabit speed internet and get in Contact with us today for more information – can you afford not to?

Happy Health Care with Gigabit Networks.

Written by Nicole Dixon on January 22, 2021. Posted in Internet Provider, infrastructure, Technologies.

With advances in the internet of health care come the connectivity challenges for healthcare operators across the UK. As their internet connections get bombarded by an ever increasing array of devices and services, is it any wonder it’s slow?

It doesn’t have to be any more with Gigabit Networks.

Can your residents and patients communicate with family and friends easily, or keep themselves entertained while waiting for care?

Can your staff send, download, and access important data and medical records safely and at a speed to do their jobs effectively?

MRI’s, X-rays, smart beds, oxygen monitoring devices and proximity sensors all require a fast, reliable internet connection; without one can your patients be provided with the most essential treatments and monitoring without complication?

Internet speeds are now paving the way for both the efficiency and flexibility of health care tasks and treatments. A PureFibre connection will become an essential for every hospital, care home, and clinic across the country.

With the ongoing pandemic causing non-essential appointments and therapies to move online, health care has to get up to speed with Gigabit capable internet to provide the best care.

Why Gigabit Networks?

Gigabit internet services are ultrafast, ultra-reliable connections capable of delivering symmetrical access tot he internet at speeds of 1Gbps or more.

Our GigaPure Ethernet Direct delivers up to 10Gbps and is monitored 24/7, we even guarantee 100% uptime.

Using advanced innovative technology, our fibre ethernet connection is more cost-effective and reliable then ever before. This allows us to offer health care locations, close to our network, extremely affordable dedicated bandwidth of 1Gbps or more.

Happier and Healthier Care with Gigabit Networks

What this means is that:

Patients and care home residents can stream entertainment to devices without any excessive strain on your network. This helps your carers and IT team keep people happy.

Family can rest easy knowing their loved ones are receiving the best possible care, “FaceTiming” with ease and without delay or communication issues.

Appointments can be scheduled with ease whilst digital data, high-resolution scans and records are transferred safely, securely, and speedily – providing your admin staff the resources they need without any hassle.

Practitioners and Doctors can provide the best mental and physical health care from a distance with software like Microsoft Teams and Zoom without having to worry about internet speeds.

Gigabit Networks can help you to provide happy and healthy care to everybody in hospitals, care homes, and clinics.

Get in contact with us today for more information on dedicated packages for healthcare.

Gigabit Networks Helps Strengthen 21st Century Comms with Acquisition of Skyline Wireless

Written by Nicole Dixon on December 3, 2020. Posted in Digital Trade, Featured News, infrastructure, Internet Provider, Technologies.

Gigabit Networks is delighted to announce the acquisition of Suffolk-based telecoms and VOIP provider Skyline Wireless, together providing greater connectivity and internet in areas of the UK that have struggled for bandwidth.

“We’re delighted Skyline is joining the Gigabit family. The pandemic has created massive demand for faster and better-quality connectivity. We can now not only make central city businesses faster, but more rural areas too.”
Dan Ilett, CEO of Gigabit Networks

Skyline is a specialist provider of ‘last mile’ wireless internet connectivity via radio and 4/5G networks, as well as cloud-based services and security products to SME businesses.

Services provided by Skyline include Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) – part of a global industry trend towards cloud services, also known as digital transformation – and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) – a technology that allows you to make voice calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular phone line.

“The Midlands is one of the most exciting places in the UK to do business right now as the connectivity potential is huge. Most people in the Midlands haven’t realised the potential speeds and technology that are now available to them. Together Gigabit and Skyline will change that.”
David Yates, CEO of 4 Oceans Venture Capital and key investor in Gigabit Networks

Internet usage has increased by 47% as more businesses move operations online in 2020, skyrocketing the need for the most up-to-date and reliable digital infrastructure across the UK.

Gigabit Networks and Skyline Wireless are collaboratively making it easier for businesses anywhere to access modern, ultrafast and affordable internet.