Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
New partnership brings Gigabit connectivity to help Yorkshire businesses flourish
The partnership will allow the University to offer digital solutions to businesses based within its University Business Centres (UBCs) in Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax.
Exa Networks will be locating a data centre in Leeds Beckett’s new Halifax University Business Centre, due to open in May 2018 in the historic Piece Mill (pictured).
Leeds Beckett’s University Business Centres support hundreds of early stage businesses to set up and grow, stimulating prosperity in the region and beyond. The Halifax Centre will benefit from the installation of DarkLight, a super-fast internet connection capable of achieving speeds of up to 100,000Mbps (100Gbps), making the city one of the best-connected locations in the UK.
Exa Networks was founded in 2003 and is one of the only ISPs to specialise in creating bespoke solutions - meeting the needs of industries ranging from the education sector and retail outlets to hotels, business parks, wind farms and more.
Speaking about the partnership, Katie Rigarlsford, University Business Centre and Regional Business Development Manager at Leeds Beckett, said: “All our client businesses need to find legal, financial, and digital solutions when they are starting and growing their businesses. We are delighted to join forces with our key partners in these sectors to help support the success and growth of our University Business Centres. We are delighted to be able to do this with Exa Networks as our trusted partner for the provision of broadband connectivity to our business clients.”
Exa Networks will join existing UBC partners, law firm Lupton Fawcett and Yorkshire Bank, in providing regular free advice clinics to business clients at the Centres as well as workshops and advice relating to topics that are relevant to client businesses, including digital skills, legal issues, access to finance, growth and business planning.
Mark Cowgill, Co-Founder & Commercial Director for Exa Networks, commented: “With the average UK broadband speed being just 22Mbps, the benefits that dark fibre technology can bring are extensive and already well documented in other Gigabit cities across the globe. These state-of-the-art office spaces located across the county will provide Yorkshire’s brightest new businesses with the bandwidth and high speeds they need to develop, grow and compete in an ever more digital world.”
Leeds Beckett has been operating a network of University Business Centres for more than 15 years. More than 240 businesses across the region are currently located in Leeds Beckett’s private offices and co-working spaces, which to date have supported over 800 businesses to accelerate their growth. Support from Leeds Beckett has been proven to almost double business sustainability, with a 95% business survival rate in the first year of trading.