Firms will have help for faster broadband (From Ledbury Reporter)

Firms will have help for faster broadband

4:00pm Friday 30th March 2012 in News

LEDBURY and Bromyard businesses are to get extra support to help them make the most of the internet.

A new toolkit is being developed by Herefordshire Council and the UK Information Technology Association (UKITA), to help county businesses understand how high-speed broadband can make them more efficient, save them money and help them grow faster.

The county is to get faster internet services over the coming years.

Herefordshire Council is a partner in the Borders Broadband project, a government and local authority-funded initiative to bring high-speed broadband to rural Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.

Faster broadband can save firms time and money with online communications.

It can speed up business by being able to quickly send and receive large files, and it offers more flexible working and reduced travel costs.

As well as producing the new business toolkit, UKITA is running a series of events to highlight the potential benefits of using internet services over faster broadband, using case studies and demonstrating how the internet can be used.

Councillor Graham Powell, Herefordshire Council’s broadband champion said: “We are working hard to bring faster broadband to Herefordshire, but our businesses need to recognise that as well as providing opportunities for them to become more efficient, it will also offer their customers better access to a wider range of possible providers and may put their order books under pressure.

“In our recent survey almost all businesses recognised the importance of faster internet, but they will need to make the most of it to keep, and expand, their market share.

“This is an ideal opportunity for them to think about what they need to do to keep ahead of the competition.”

The UKITA events are free and will run from 5-7pm, with light refreshments provided, on:
􀁥 Monday, April 2 - The Peterchurch Centre, Peterchurch
􀁥 Wednesday, April 4 - The Falcon Hotel, Bromyard
􀁥 Wednesday, April 18 - The Three Counties Hotel, Belmont Road, Hereford 􀁥 Thursday, April 19 - The Feathers Hotel, Ledbury