Thames Valley: Superfast Berkshire delivers superfast broadband in Reading and Wokingham

Three sites across Berkshire have now been connected with superfast broadband thanks to a partnership between government-backed Superfast Berkshire and high-speed Internet provider WarwickNet.

Aiming to combat slow connectivity speeds across the county, Superfast Berkshire has helped to identify struggling businesses which have in turn been rescued by independent providers such as WarwickNet.

Providing a complete range of connectivity solutions from high-capacity leased lines to business broadband of up to 100 Mbit/s, the national provider has now ‘gone live’ at Winnersh Triangle in Wokingham, and the Bennet Road and Cradock Road areas in Reading.

Thomas Smith, business development manager at WarwickNet, said: “Broadband connections in city centre locations tend to be improving but sourcing the same business-grade facilities in out-of-town areas remains difficult. That’s why we specialise in supplying businesses operating from industrial estates and business parks, giving them the opportunity to compete on a level playing field.

“Of course there are still connectivity blackspots in built up areas such as Reading and so when Superfast Berkshire told us that businesses on Bennet Road and Cradock Road were receiving speeds as slow as 2 Mbit/s, we were happy to step in and provide the solutions they needed.”

Jo Lovelock, leader for Reading Borough Council, said: “We welcome the investment and innovation from technology companies such as WarwickNet in helping to deliver Superfast Broadband infrastructure into our business parks which directly supports our local business economy and helps to achieve a key Superfast Broadband availability target for the Council.”

Cllr Stuart Munro, deputy executive member for economic development and finance at Wokingham Borough Council, said: “This is a significant investment in improving broadband connectivity in our area and is key to securing our ambitions for economic growth. In addition to improving the quality and speed of the coverage it will also provide businesses with more choice and will help ensure our local economy remains competitive.”