With all eyes on economic growth and transformation, the need for a robust communications infrastructure is vital for towns and cities to flourish. Thanks to the Digital Region network, South Yorkshire is ahead of the curve and is fast becoming a hub for businesses that use digital communications.

David Cowell, Chief Operating Officer at Digital Region said,

“We are delighted to sponsor this award and recognise the skills and expertise that has placed South Yorkshire firmly on the digital map.

“This era of superfast broadband and digital technologies is only just beginning, but it promises to revolutionise our relationship with the Internet and computers. It is an exciting time for businesses and there are huge gains to be made through the skilled use of digital communications.

“Digital Region has provided South Yorkshire with a world class platform and already businesses are moving to the region to take full advantage of the opportunities provided by this next generation network.

“Digital Region is an ambassador for digital communications activity and as sponsor of the ‘Digital Communications Award’ we look forward to seeing a wide range of businesses showcase their expertise and skills.”

To nominate your business for the award please visit the offical Sheffield Star Business Awards website here: http://www2.sheffieldtoday.net/sites/business-awards/index.html

Criteria for the Digital Region “Digital Communications Award” :

Presented to a business that has made effective use of next generation broadband technology in order to gain an advantage in the marketplace and improve performance, quality of service and business efficiency. The award may recognise innovative use of social media, successful migration of sales from in-store to an online platform, use of home working to increase productivity, early adoption of cutting edge IT, outstanding web development or promotion of digital inclusion.

The Sheffield based ISP has also upgraded its entire infrastructure, to enable the team at Origin to focus on delivering to their customers more efficiently and faster than ever before.

Origin has marked these changes with the announcement that they are now offering an ultrafast broadband service, Origin Max. The service, launching in May 2012, will offer maximum speeds of between 60mb – 100mb.

Customers that are currently connected to the Digital Region network experience network average download speeds of 37Mbps. This is over six times faster than the UK average (as reported by OFCOM) with upload speeds also clocking in at an impressive 13 Mbps. These recent developments mean the people of South Yorkshire can access a broadband network that is truly superfast.

Origin Broadband have been bringing customers to the Digital Region network for one year and have worked hard to build a reputation within the ISP world as ones to watch. The company works with both residential and business customers and are keen to spread the word about making the leap to fibre optic broadband and improved broadband speeds in South Yorkshire.

Keen to show the public how faster broadband can make life more fun – for communication, gaming, and entertainment needs – Littlebigone.com is now using their superfast broadband to deliver a whole host of TV channels to residents across South Yorkshire.

The first company to offer this kind of service on a major scale, with South Yorkshire being the only region locally to have a real alternative to the big 3 providers, (Sky, BT and Virgin) this is a great coup for the region and littlebigone.com’s guaranteed bandwidth ensures high quality of service.

Internet Protocol Television is a system through which television services are over a private IP network, instead of delivered though traditional terrestrial, satellite signal and cable television formats. Advantages of this new TV service (which we are calling network TV) include superior picture reliability and quality, as well as no aerial or dish being required.

There are 2 levels of package covering a range of different channels – Little TV and Big TV. The channels offered on these packages can be found on the Littlebigone.com website.

The review has confirmed that there is a strong commitment to super fast broadband in the region. Its implementation will continue and will aid economic growth and development, keeping South Yorkshire ahead of the digital curve.

Digital Region Ltd (DRL), in partnership with its shareholders, has undertaken a review of the current Digital Region business model and has proposed that in order to continue to deliver and progress in what is a rapidly changing market, a new business model is required.

David Cowell, Chief Operating Officer at DRL was highly praised for his much valued leadership and direction throughout the review. He commented, “The project is pioneering and it has helped place South Yorkshire at the forefront of the UK’s digital agenda.

“Thanks to our current delivery partner Thales, the build phase has been successfully completed to time and cost and whilst the majority of the UK must wait until 2015 to experience superfast broadband, a phenomenal 80% of SY businesses and residents can already connect.

“DRL is delighted to move forward with the continued support of both the board and the central government and Local Authority shareholders.”

Digital Region will move in line with the commercial model being promoted by central government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) for superfast broadband in the rest of the UK. The BDUK commercial model places the majority of risk and liability to a private sector partner. The appointed supplier takes responsibility for all operating costs, sales, marketing and revenue generation.

Andrew Bedford, Strategic Director of Resources at Rotherham MBC said, “The new business model aims to ensure that superfast broadband is available to as many people and businesses as possible, whilst also helping to reduce the council’s current commitments and future risk. The new plan will help make South Yorkshire competitive with other areas and encourage economic development and growth.”

Digital Region Ltd will now work to procure a private sector partner to take over the operations of the broadband network and Digital Region Ltd will make further announcements regarding the tender application in May 2012.

David Cowell continued, “This is a significant and exciting development and is without doubt the best way forward for Digital Region to ensure the significant benefits of the project are delivered and the people of South Yorkshire can continue to benefit. It is our goal to meet and, wherever possible, to exceed in delivering the original mandate set out to achieve growth and transformation in the region.”

The decision to align DR to the government’s BDUK model has been reviewed and ratified by both the DRL board and shareholders. DRL will endeavour to successfully deliver this across the next 12 months.

While many areas struggle to access superfast broadband speeds, South Yorkshire is well ahead of the digital curve.

80% of South Yorkshire has access to next generation broadband services, thanks the Digital Region superfast broadband network.

1.7m speeds tests were carried out to provide the results which showed nearly a third of addresses struggle to get speeds above 5Mbps.

South Yorkshire is in a much better position. The Digital Region network puts the region at the forefront of the digital revolution with current average download speeds on the network are 37Mbps, nearly six times faster than the UK average reported by OFCOM.

To see how residents and businesses in the region are benefitting from superfast broadband have a look at the case studies available here. To find out how to connect to the Digital Region network via one of our Internet Service Providers, click here.

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 ask4 to provide its connection to Digital Region.