A leading technology company has chosen the heart of rural Dorset for its UK base because of its superfast broadband.
CrowdComms, a conference app developer with offices in Australia, US and Ireland, now also bases itself in Sturminster Newton thanks to the roll out of high speed broadband.
Managing director and co-founder Felix Stroud-Allen says access to fibre broadband was a pivotal factor in choosing a location for the business.
“Fibre broadband is absolutely crucial to our business. Without it we would not be able to operate. The majority of our sales are made using online demonstrations and VOiP phones and you need a solid and robust internet connection for this to happen. Any drop in internet service would result in calls dropping out and online demos freezing.”
CrowdComms is one of the leading global providers of conference app technology. It has powered over 10,000 events in 40 countries and in 17 languages. Over 9 million delegates use the app.
When Felix was looking for a bigger UK base, he was surprised that rural Dorset has internet speeds to rival those in the world’s biggest cities.
In many cases his internet connection at work and at home is better than his London-based clients.
“I live in a village three miles from Sturminster Newton and we have the same internet speed at home as at the office. With two teenage children and their insatiable need for data, it’s a must,” he said.
Businesses have long gravitated to the conurbation’s hub of tech businesses but rural Dorset has not been able to offer equivalent connectivity until now. County and North Dorset district councillor Pauline Batstone says the town’s economic growth team is working to create the right business environment to attract tech companies. She said:
“We very much welcome CrowdComms to Stur and hope they will be the first of many who will recognise what a good place Stur is to do high tech business within beautiful surroundings.”
Across Dorset, over 90% of homes and businesses can access fast, reliable internet, many thanks to the rollout of fibre broadband through the Superfast Dorset project. This includes most premises in towns and larger villages.
Prices are usually comparable to – and sometimes even less than – standard broadband. Contact your service provider to upgrade to fibre. For more information, visit www.dorsetforyou.com/superfast and see Felix’s full story.