Event details

Date: Wednesday, 11th January 2012

Time: 5 pm – 7 pm

Venue: Fusion@Magna, Sheffield Road, Templeborough, Rotherham

Information

This is a free networking event and an opportunity to hear the latest developments from key business representatives in the region.

Jeremy Sheehan, Head of Sales and Marketing at Digital Region Ltd will provide an update  of the latest developments from Digital Region Limited and how South Yorkshire’s superfast broadband network can benefit your business.

Andrew Denniff, Executive Director of the Chamber will talk about what membership of Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce can do for your business.

Chris Muscroft , Chair of the Digital Industries Forum for Sheffield City Region will be available to answer any questions about the Forum.

A representative from the Business Desk of The Yorkshire Post will also be available to share details about the new campaign to speak up for businesses in Yorkshire that are striving for success in difficult times.

To register for this event please use the events calendar on the following link: http://www.brchamber.co.uk/calendar.php

Digital communications expert Richard Jepson (Digital Region Limited) joined delegates at the NextGen 11 conference on 15 – 16 November, to deliver a workshop focused on Public Sector Networks (PSN).

The NextGen conference in Bristol, the showcase event for next generation broadband activity in the UK, gave over 300 industry professionals a chance to share best practice and gain a wider understanding of digital network investment.

The Digital Region network in South Yorkshire, together with projects across the UK, is considered as increasingly essential for local economic growth and innovation – with a market estimated to be being worth over £3bn per annum for the next five years.

There has already been tremendous interest in providing next generation public services over the Digital Region network. All four South Yorkshire councils have migrated to the network and are achieving significant cost efficiencies by using Digital Region.

Richard Jepson, Business Development Manager at Digital Region commented:

“I was delighted to have the honour of speaking at this influential event. The Digital Region project is at the forefront of delivering super fast broadband and the NextGen conference was the ideal platform to talk about PSN and how it is helping local authorities take projects to the next level.

“South Yorkshire is in a privileged position with an operational network and all four local authorities in the region accessing next generation broadband. It is important to demonstrate some of the efficiencies and reduction in costs that have been achieved and also share some of the successes the Digital Region project has had to date.”

Marit Hendriks, Director of NG Events Ltd said, “NextGen 11 was our best attended and most successful event so far and we are extremely grateful to contributors who have helped position NextGen as the premier annual showcase for digital infrastructure in the UK.

“Richard Jepson covered a topic at the forefront of digital communications and provided an insightful overview of the Digital Region project, including the successes it has had to date in South Yorkshire and how it is now in a position to offer PSN services over the network. This is an exciting development for the sector.”

The NextGen 11 conference included speakers from across Europe and shone a spotlight on a range of transformative public sector projects set to deliver better public services at lower costs.

The Digital Region network will transform the way that businesses, residents and the public sector in South Yorkshire can use the Internet. The superfast broadband speeds will enable users to experience download speeds of up 40 Mbps, with network average speeds reaching 37Mbps download and 13Mbps upload, far superior to the average UK broadband speeds reported by OFCOM.

The Digital Region project is supported financially by the European Union and has attracted £27m million of investment from the European Regional Development Fund as part of Europe’s support for local economic development through the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF Programme.

Over 40 creative, digital, media and technology businesses from across South Yorkshire came together for an event at Barnsley’s Digital Media Centre (DMC) to find out how to take advantage of the Digital Region super-fast broadband network available across the region.

Speaking at the event, Jeremy Sheehan Head of Sales and Marketing at Digital Region said: “Business leaders across South Yorkshire represent a core audience for Digital Region. It is vital that we go on this journey together, and that businesses and residents alike are fully up to speed with the benefits Digital Region can provide.

“Now that the cables have been laid and the network is fully operational, Digital Region can provide access to a range of next generation services. Businesses in Barnsley are already taking advantage of improved connectivity and services including VOIP, mobile and cloud computing solutions.”

Chris Muscroft, Chairman of the Digital Industries Forum also spoke at the event, he said: “Digital Region will play a huge role in helping to develop technology and innovation in the region. Connecting to the Digital Region network is cost effective and it supports applications for the future, it’s important that we support the project to create the environment and infrastructure for future technology development.”

The Digital Media Centre in Barnsley recently completed its connection to the Digital Region network and customers in the building are in the process of moving over to the new service. DMC has set up the service to provide businesses in the building with symmetrical download and upload speeds of up to 40Mbps, with the capacity to increase to 100Mbps if required.

Mel Kanarek, Project and Incubation Director at Digital Media Centre explained: “We were very keen to connect to Digital Region and give businesses in the DMC access to superfast broadband connections. The fibre comes right into the building and we are able to provide our customers with incredibly fast speeds. We have structured the service so that it is affordable and flexible, allowing businesses to choose the service that best suits their needs.”

Andrew Denniff Executive Director of Barnsley Rotherham Chamber added: “Our members represent some of the region’s key businesses and key stakeholders in the Digital region project. We are delighted they have been able to find out more about the project and fully get to grips with the considerable difference it can make to both their business and the wider city region.”

The Digital Region network will transform the way that businesses and residents in South Yorkshire can use the internet, providing South Yorkshire with connections to high speed next generation internet services. The superfast broadband speeds will enable users to experience download speeds of up 40 Mbps, with network average speeds reaching 37Mbps download and 13Mbps upload, far superior to the average UK broadband speeds reported by OFCOM.

The Digital Region project is supported financially by the European Union and has attracted £27m million of investment from the European Regional Development Fund as part of Europe’s support for local economic development through the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF Programme.

The Centre has completed its connection to the Digital Region network and customers in the building are in the process of moving over to the service. The service provides internet speeds of up to 40Mbps, for both download and upload, and has the capacity to be increased to 100Mbps if required.

DMC Manager Gareth Scargill explains, “We wanted to make it simple and straight-forward for businesses in the Centre to gain the benefits of Digital Region. For this reason, we take care of connecting our customers to the service and there is no long term contract to sign. We have also structured the service so that it is affordable and flexible, allowing businesses to choose the type of service that best suits their needs.”

Andrew Armitage, managing director of online estate agency Armitage Residential, has been based at the DMC nearly two years. He says, “We originally set up at the DMC because of its location and the prestige of the building. As our business has grown, our broadband usage has grown with it and it is vital that we have a high quality, business-focused service that is sensibly priced. Now that the DMC is on Digital Region, we can take full advantage of the speeds that are available, without having to worry about hitting data limits.”

Solutions Consultant Terry Goff moved his business, Object Communications, to The Studio at the DMC a few months ago. He comments, “Moving to the DMC has helped put my business on a professional footing. I specialise in online collaboration systems for companies and organisations, so everything I do is over the internet. Having a reliable and efficient service that can grow with me will be essential as I develop my business.”

The DMC selected local ISP RiPWiRE to provide its connection to Digital Region. Quentin Birchall, Commercial Director from RiPWiRE, says “We are delighted to be working with the DMC to provide superfast broadband to the businesses in the Centre. The DMC is becoming an important focal point for the CDI sector in South Yorkshire and we’re looking forward to ensuring that the Centre’s customers have access to a high quality service that grows with their businesses.”

Richard Jepson, Senior Business Development Manager, will showcase how the South Yorkshire councils are leading NGA, collaboration and cost efficiencies through Digital Region’s early adoption of Public Sector Networks.

NextGen11 is being held in Bristol at the UWE Exhibition and Conference Centre on the 15th and 16thNovember.

The event is the UK’s premier showcase for Digital Infrastructure and brings together industry leaders from across Europe to share and discuss the latest issues and developments around next generation broadband deployment.

Speakers include:

• Chris Holden, President Fibre To The Home Council Europe
• Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission and European Digital Agenda Commissioner
• Keith Vinning, Account Director Fujitsu
• Edgar Aker, Senior Manager Business Development Prysmian Group, Telecom Solutions
• Bill Mackenzie, Business Unit Director for Carrier Solutions Fujitsu
• Bill Murphy, Managing Director NGA, BT Group
• Paul Sexton-Chadwick, Director of Sales The Cloud/BSkyB

The signing of littlebigone.com represents an important milestone for the Digital Region project. littlebigone.com is the first ISP on the superfast broadband network to supply a package that offers TV, phone and broadband to South Yorkshire residents.

Jeremy Sheehan, Head of Sales and Marketing at Digital Region Limited said: “Digital Region are delighted make this announcement as it is a significant step forward for local users that want to upgrade their broadband provision and subscribe to a ‘triple package’ of TV, phone and broadband.”

“There is a tremendous interest in us providing next generation broadband services over the Digital Region network and there are a lot of developments in the pipeline. As the project moves forward we will continue to introduce more services that enable home users, businesses and public services to capitalise on the opportunities the network presents.”

The Digital Region network is set to transform the way that home users and businesses in the region use the internet. Connecting to high-speed next generation internet services will offer allow users to download music and e-books, upload photos and videos and enjoy online gaming, all at the same time and at superfast speeds.

Digital region broadband enables users to experience download speeds of up to 40 Mbps, with network averages reaching 37Mbps download and 13Mbps upload, far superior to the average UK broadband speeds reported by OFCOM.

littlebigone.com MD Teresa Robbins said: “We’re very excited about launching this service and giving the people of South Yorkshire the opportunity to upgrade from the often poor internet connections that are experienced in the area. We are passionate about helping people get up to speed.

“We are offering a very personal service and will give advice to anyone interested in getting set up online for the first time or improving the service they currently have.”

Customers wishing to access the Digital Region network can do so via a number of partner ISPs who supply the service to the end user and connect customers to the network.

The latest ISP to connect customers to the Digital Region network, littlebigone.com, will initially launch with a broadband only offer, to show the public the benefits of improved internet connectivity and how faster broadband can make life easier and more fun – for communication, gaming, and home entertainment needs. By December 2011 customers will be able to take advantage of a full IPTV service, where all TV channels are delivered over the network.

An exciting event to launch littlebigone.com will take place on Saturday 29th October, at The Frenchgate Shopping Centre in Doncaster from 10.30am until 5pm.  littlebigone.com will join forces with Hallam FM for a fun day of games, information and opportunities to win prizes.

The Digital Region project is supported financially by the European Union and has attracted £27m million of investment from the European Regional Development Fund as part of Europe’s support for local economic development through the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF Programme.

Five businesses will go head to head for the Innovation and Technology in Business award and Digital Region Limited is delighted to be one of the selected organisations.

The Digital Region network is the first large scale broadband network to be built in the UK. It uses an innovative technique to connect existing copper telephone lines to Digital Regions fibre optic network, which enables the company to supply superfast broadband to home users and businesses in South Yorkshire.

Already the network is being widely used and all four local authorities in South Yorkshire are in the process of moving their communications networks to Digital Region to take advantage of superfast broadband. The network is one of only three organisations in the UK to have Public Sector Network (PSN) accreditation which means it is eligible to support public sector traffic over the network. The network brings significant cost savings and efficiencies to a large range of public sector services including schools, hospitals, care homes and emergency services, right across the region.

More than 125 schools in Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield are already connected to the Digital Region network. Approximately 45,000 school children have the opportunity to access superfast broadband and nearly double that figure will be connected over the next few months. Children in our region can use tools and learning resources that are currently unavailable in most schools across the UK.

Digital Region is looking forward to hearing the outcome of the award nomination and also meeting up with other fantastic local businesses who have been nominated to receive an award. The network has been built to benefit the South Yorkshire region and being nominated for this award is recognition of how important the network already is!

Over 65,000 Sheffield school children will soon benefit from the best broadband speeds available, giving children and teacher’s superfast access to the Internet and web based learning materials.

Access to Digital Regions superfast broadband network allows Sheffield schools to jump ahead of the curve and take advantage of next generation teaching applications.

Sheffield City Council has signed up to the Digital Region network in a deal worth over £1million. Sheffield’s five year deal means that all four local councils in South Yorkshire are now in the process of moving their communications networks to the Digital Region network.

Connecting all of the schools will take less than a year to complete and is expected to generate £193,000 of cost saving for the city’s schools over a three year period (with the option for schools to extend to five years giving a total saving of over £545,000).

Councillor Jackie Drayton, Cabinet member for Children, Young People and Families at Sheffield City Council, said: “Connecting our schools to the Digital Region network is an incredibly positive step. Young people across South Yorkshire can experience the next generation of communications technology, giving access to Internet services that are not yet available in most schools elsewhere the UK. It is vital that we give our children the best start in life and learning is such an important part of that.”

Dave Dickinson, Deputy Head teacher at Southey Green School in Sheffield that recently moved to the Digital Region network, commented, “Our students are taking full advantage of increased internet performance now that the school has access to superfast broadband from Digital Region. We immediately experienced significant benefits, as the Digital Region network is a stable and reliable platform that aids learning.  Students can access the internet quickly and engage in media rich work that is far more advanced than our old system could support.

“The transition to Digital Region was fast and efficient and we immediately noticed the benefits of the greater bandwidth and the much improved reliability that the network offers.”

Digital Region is one of only three companies in the UK that is rated highly enough to qualify for Public Sector Network accreditation.

The Digital Region network will transform the way South Yorkshire businesses, the public sector and residents use the internet.

Jeremy Sheehan, Head of Sales and Marketing at Digital Region Limited, commented: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Sheffield City Council and transform how schools and the public sector communicate.

“We are committed to developing the region through our next generation network and believe there’s no better place to start than in our schools. These children are the future entrepreneurs and business people of the region and we are delighted they can benefit from the network already.”

80% of Sheffield homes and businesses in South Yorkshire will be able to take advantage of next generation superfast broadband as part of the first phase of the Digital Region network build. Phase one is on track to be completed by the end of the year.

For further information go to www.digitalregion.co.uk