Welsh indigenous broadband provider and infrastructure company Ogi has announced plans to rollout its full-fibre network across Cardiff. Speaking at Cardiff Breakfast Club, chief executive Ben Allwright said work is set to begin this month on bringing Ogi's high-speed broadband to the capital's business districts.
The rollout is Ogi's first move into a major city and part of the company's ambitious £200m phase one business plan to deploy its ultrafast broadband to 150,000 premises across south Wales by 2025, following investment from Infracapital. It is expected to complete by early 2024 and will connect the whole of Cardiff without the need for expensive leased lines for the first time.
The first wave will see symmetrical speeds of 10Gbps and higher delivered to more than 1,000 business premises in the tech, creative and digital sectors before the end of the year. Cardiff firms currently rent dedicated connections with long term contracts, however Ogi aims to offer more affordable options for business following the rollout.
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The independent Fair Internet Report, conducted this month, suggests the average broadband speed in Cardiff is currently 99Mbps, below the UK average of 106Mbps. Ogi says its new bespoke network will offer standard speeds which are 10-times faster, with full-fibre lines capable of between 2Gbps to 10Gbps symmetrical speeds available.
Announcing the plans, Mr Allwright said: “I’m thrilled to see our work getting underway in the Welsh capital – a thriving digital-first city, and home to our own HQ. The big data age has arrived in Cardiff, and fast, dependable connectivity has never been more important.
"As we look to work in more flexible and hybrid ways, reliable connectivity is vial, and this digital upgrade across the city will lay new foundations for Wales to thrive today, and long into the future. This development will enhance our existing, market leading managed IT service offering with local support based just around the corner – bringing a business's entire needs together for the very first time."
As part of the £200m rollout plans, Ogi is deploying its ultrafast services to a number of local authority areas across south Wales, including Chepstow, Caldicot, Dinas Powys, Hengoed, Magor, Neyland, Pembroke, Pembroke Dock, Porth, Porthcawl, and Ystrad Mynach.
It has also increased it staff numbers from 20 to around 140 in recent years, with the business opening four new regional offices in Newport, Tongwynlais, Cardiff and St Clears. Ogi was also the first internet service provider in the UK to deploy Nokia’s 25Gbps full-fibre at Cardiff tech incubator Tramshed Tech.
Cardiff Council leader Huw Thomas said: “When I opened Ogi’s headquarters building in the centre of Cardiff last year, the company referred to their ambitious broadband rollout plans for Cardiff, and I am delighted to hear that following investment across south Wales they are now set to start work on their capital city rollout .
“A recent report by the ‘Centre for Cities’ identified Cardiff as the leading UK Core City in terms of its digital infrastructure, so the investment by Ogi should build on this infrastructure which is critical to achieving social and economic prosperity for all our communities - and to help us grow investment from high growth businesses already here, and from those looking to set up in the city.”
Cardiff Breakfast Club is sponsored by Darwin Gray, Effective Communication, Stills, the Western Mail and Resource Group.
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