Wireless ISPs Metronet (UK) and Siklu are teaming up to improve broadband for Manchester and Salford businesses who sign up under the Super Connected Cities voucher scheme.
The second phase of the scheme, part of the government’s Urban Broadband Fund plan, will start in November and will see companies able to apply for vouchers to cover the installation costs of superfast broadband schemes.
The grants cover firms for up to £3,000 for installation ansd set-up costs. The first trial phase of the plan has already seen Metronet (UK) upgrading Kings House conference centre’s 4Mbps connection to something more suitable for a modern business.
Metronet (UK) has chosen to partner up for Siklu for the next phase of the plan. Metronet (UK) says that Siklu’s EtherHaul is the most cost effective gigabit wireless backhaul solution in the industry. EtherHaul transmits signals on the 60-80GHz radio bands, called ‘millimeter radio’.
James McCall, MD of Metronet (UK) said, “We were the first adopters of 80GHz radio in the UK and we also deployed the first commercial Siklu product in the UK. This gave us the opportunity to help further develop the product into the market leader it now is.
“Siklu are keen to see millimeter radio form an important part of the UK’s Internet infrastructure and this partnership has been formed with the BDUK superconnected cities programme in mind and will see us delivering thousands of high speed Internet connections using Siklu’s EtherHaul products.”
“Our customers are using our connectivity solutions, built on Siklu infrastructure, to take them to the cloud. We see this partnership taking us much further.”
The £150 million Urban Broadband Fund will deliver free public WiFi across 22 of the UK’s biggest cities as well as giving local businesses a kick start.
Elliott Mueller, CEO at Metronet (UK) said earlier this month that the fund has helped a number of groups from local charities and start ups to more established names get on the superfast broadband ladder and transform their business, something which they would not have been able to do on their own.
Leave a Reply