Anglesey to major on full fibre availability

Anglesey’s inward investment credentials have been boosted by the confirmation that businesses on the Bryn Cefni, Mona and Gaerwen industrial parks can benefit from Openreach’s FFTP connectivity, a service it said is only available in 3% of UK properties.

FTTP, known as full fibre to the premises, can provide speeds of 330Mbps and is described as a next-generation technology. Firms can take advantage of the Welsh Government’s Ultrafast Connectivity Voucher Scheme, which can provide up to £10,000 to fund or part-fund the initial capital costs involved in installing such services.

The voucher scheme aims to help businesses exploit the improved connectivity in areas such as Anglesey, brought about by Superfast Cymru, a partnership project between the Welsh Government, BT, UK Government and the European Regional Development Fund which brings faster broadband to areas that would not otherwise receive it. Anglesey’s superfast programme as a whole has connected 30,000 premises including homes.

Neil Rowlands, chairman of Anglesey Enterprise Zone Advisory Board, said: “The connectivity on Anglesey has reached a level that would have been inconceivable only a few years ago and we want to ensure that firms are aware of this and also that financial assistance is available to upgrade their connection.

“We are demonstrating once again that Anglesey is very much open for business and that we are highly accessible. Being a Welsh Government Enterprise Zone, we can offer firms highly competitive overheads and some of the highest levels of financial incentives in the UK as well as a skilled workforce across a range of disciplines.”

One of the island’s key strategic sites is Bryn Cefni Industrial Park, a 155-acre site just off Junction 6 of the A55 with planning in place for B1, B2 and B8 uses. Occupiers already in situ include FAUN Trackway, Marco Cable Management, Two Sisters Food Group and Horizon Nuclear Power.