World-class connectivity. A unique opportunity for your business. The benefits of Open Access Broadband at Baltic Business Quarter.
Foreword Perhaps you’re thinking of starting a new business. Maybe you want to set up a new regional office. Or perhaps you’re expanding your global footprint. If your business is growing, then you need to know about the connectivity now available in Gateshead. On the banks of the Tyne, Gateshead Baltic Business Quarter is a business location like no other in the UK. At the heart of this £300 million venture, with its incredible 1.5 million square feet of office space, lies a stunning world-class asset: a vast, fibre optic broadband network. The network is among the most powerful in the world. Delivering up to a massive 10 Gigabytes of bandwidth, it is designed to support businesses of all types and sizes - from innovative new media companies, software developers and retailers, to service providers and blue chip companies of international standing. 2
The huge bandwidth and speed can give a real competitive edge to any business. Multimedia conferencing, streaming video, IP telephony, file sharing and more will be rapid and simple. The most demanding storage needs will be supported with ease. And importantly because it is an Open Access Broadband Network - the connectivity is designed to be very affordable. What’s more, plans are underway to extend this super-fast connectivity beyond Baltic Business Quarter, to benefit even more local businesses and residents in the area. In this brochure, you’ll learn more about the facilities at this unique business location. You’ll discover the business and social benefits of next-generation connectivity. And you’ll learn about the thriving Gateshead and Newcastle area, and what it has to offer you and your business. The opportunity awaits.
World-class connectivity. A unique opportunity for your business / G-ti
Councillor Mick Henry, Leader, Gateshead Council
What is Baltic Business Quarter? Baltic Business Quarter is a state-of-the-art business location, which is being developed to benefit Gateshead’s business community and attract new organisations to the area. With excellent public transport services and links to the broader UK transport network, Baltic Business Quarter positions Gateshead to compete effectively in the international business arena.
Working together, developers Terrace Hill and architects Red Box Design have created and implemented a master plan which delivers up to 1.5 million square feet of urban office accommodation at the Quarter. Less than 1,400 metres from Newcastle city centre, 1,000 metres from the central railway station and even closer to Gateshead centre, the site offers 21 hectares of prime urban land. This unique inner-city location will ultimately incorporate 40 buildings and create up to 7,000 jobs.
G-ti / World-class connectivity. A unique opportunity for your business
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World-class connectivity Instead of using communications services from established providers, Baltic Business Quarter benefits from an entirely new, super-highbandwidth network. This was built by Gateshead Technology Innovation (G-ti), a partnership between Gateshead Council and leading network provider Alcatel-Lucent, to give you cost-effective access to the very latest communications services.
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World-class connectivity. A unique opportunity for your business / G-ti
The new fibre-optic infrastructure is an Open Access Broadband Network (OABN). It is termed ‘open’ because any service provider in the region can use it to deliver broadband services to local businesses - increasing competition, and giving you world-class IT and communications at the best possible prices. By building the network with AlcatelLucent, Gateshead Council has achieved parity with the best connected areas of the UK.
Cutting-edge connectivity in the community Importantly, this connectivity is not intended for Baltic Business Quarter alone. Plans are underway to extend it across the Gateshead area, bringing significant benefits to even more local businesses and residents. The connectivity can support working from home, for example, giving staff access to the same connectivity and applications that they use in the office. It can support online education and distance learning, enabling people who are unable to attend schools and colleges to continue studying and improve their employment opportunities. And it can support next-generation e-healthcare services, such as applications that monitor the health of elderly people and help them stay in their own homes for longer. The possibilities are many, varied and very exciting indeed.
THE BENEFITS Specifically, the network will enable you to deploy a range of applications to improve communications with international employees, partners, offices and customers. This might include video conferencing, which provides a face-toface meeting experience for geographically distributed employees, or shared workspaces where large files can be updated by distributed teams in real time. In addition to this, the new Baltic Business Quarter network will provide extremely high bandwidth to support the needs of high-tech companies such as software developers, media organisations, major blue chip companies and retailers. Using the state-of-the-art network infrastructure, service providers can deliver a range of benefits to your business, including:
• Massive bandwidth You can deploy a whole range of cutting-edge applications, to help your business communicate and compete more effectively
• Dynamic bandwidth allocation By increasing or decreasing bandwidth as you need, you pay only for the communications services you use
• Low usage cost Increased competition among service providers ensures you get best service levels for the best price
• Flexible working This connectivity will reach out into the Gateshead community, enabling seamless home and flexible working for Baltic Business Quarter workers that live locally
• Collaborative working Access to audio and video conferencing applications can improve communications, reducing the need for business travel • Near 100% reliability High availability ensures you can maximise productivity and keep working at all times • Business agility You can increase or decrease bandwidth easily, and change service providers without incurring major costs
• Competitive advantage By accessing a wide range of nextgeneration applications, you can compete more effectively on a global basis • Even faster connectivity for the future The infrastructure could be capable of delivering speeds in the region of 40 Gigabytes, should the demand be there in the future.
G-ti / World-class connectivity. A unique opportunity for your business
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Why Gateshead for your business? Gateshead is buzzing with confidence and pride in the wake of a cultural and economic renaissance. Just a ten minute walk from its partner city Newcastle, the regional capital of North East England, the local area offers residents and visitors a lively arts scene, exciting events, nationally recognised parks and breathtaking countryside. Baltic Business Quarter is in a prime position overlooking Gateshead Quays and Newcastle Quayside, offering spectacular views of The Sage Gateshead, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and the awardwinning Gateshead Millennium Bridge. With contemporary waterfront bars and restaurants, great shopping and a lively
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atmosphere close at hand, it’s easy to see why Gateshead is attracting companies from far and wide. After all, what’s good for motivation and image must be good for business.
T H E B E S T L O C AT I O N F O R YO U R BU S I N E S S By virtue of this stunning city-centre location, Baltic Business Quarter offers you and your organisation a wide range of benefits. These include: • Great places for clients and colleagues to stay and eat • Fast, easy ways to get to work • Excellent links with the UK transport network • Easy access to a large international airport • Attractive, innovative working environments
World-class connectivity. A unique opportunity for your business / G-ti
Be part of it If you would like to know more about how your business could benefit from this next-generation broadband network, contact +44 (0)191 490 9170, email enquiries@g-ti.net or visit www.g-ti.net.
About Gateshead Technology Innovation Gateshead Technology Innovation (G-ti) is a joint venture between Gateshead Council and Alcatel-Lucent, one of the world’s leading telecommunications companies. Together, they have built a high-capacity, fully resilient open access network to serve Baltic Business Quarter. As well as minimising the cost of communications for organisations in Gateshead, the infrastructure will support a range of next-generation services, from video conferencing and data storage to rich media streaming and disaster recovery. With built-in resilience of a standard that is available in only a very few locations across the UK and worldwide, the network will enable knowledgebased businesses to locate to Baltic Business Quarter - safe in the knowledge that they can operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
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G-ti Technology Solutions Partner
All logos are the property of their respective owners and are used with consent. The information presented is subject to change without notice. Gateshead Technology Innovation assumes no responsibility for inaccuracies contained herein. Copyright @ 2009 Gateshead Technology Innovation. All rights reserved. May 2009.