Digital infrastructure
Digital infrastructure and connectivity are essential to modern businesses. The North East has the fastest broadband speed in England and the third fastest in the UK (18.96 MB/s as of June 2020) so businesses that locate here can be confident of superior connectivity.
We’re committed to making our digital infrastructure even better through ongoing investment and development projects, including:
- Northumberland have enabled almost 95% of the county to benefit from superfast broadband speeds of over 30Mbps. Now the team is working with Building Digital UK (BDUK) to rollout. lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband – which is more than twenty times faster than superfast – through the government’s Project Gigabit scheme. Source: I Northumberland
- CityFibre has now laid 415km of full fibre internet beneath the streets of Newcastle as part of its £62m plan to future-proof the city’s digital connectivity. Source: CityFibre
- Stellium Data Centres in North Tyneside providing advanced largescale hosting infrastructure
- North Atlantic Loop programme provides a direct fibre connection between the North America, North East and continental Europe. Source: Stellium
- A 5G Project for Sunderland is well underway and designed to deliver superfast internet connectivity to schools, community rooms and numerous areas across the city. Source: Sunderland Smart City
- Digital Durham have worked with Building Digital UK (BDUK) to lead on three contracts to get superfast broadband to 64,000 properties in County Durham. Source: Digital Durham
- Work to bring full fibre connectivity to homes and businesses across Gateshead and South Tyneside is underway and is expected to reach completion by 2025. Source: CityFibre
Physical infrastructure
The North East has an excellent transport network and a unique landscape that make it the ideal place to live and work.
We are served by an international airport, three ports, and fantastic rail and road networks. You can be in London, Paris or Amsterdam in around an hour by air, or reach the capital in under three hours by train. The region also has a daily flight to Dubai, connecting us to the Middle and Far East.
Workers can enjoy low commute times and some of the least congested roads in the UK. We are also home to the Tyne and Wear Metro, the largest rapid transport system outside of London, whose 60 stations provide speedy access to Newcastle, Gateshead and Sunderland and to our beautiful coastline.
Major business parks such as Quorum Park, Cobalt Park, Doxford International Park and Spectrum Business Park are all well connected via direct bus services to local residential areas, city centres and transport hubs. Many business parks and city centres have cycle storage facilities and local authorities have committed to increasing cycling provision, offering green and healthy commuting options to our workforce.
There are few places in the world where you can go for a surf in the morning and still be in a bustling city centre for a 9am meeting. Our stunning coastline spans from Durham to Northumberland and boasts some of the most picturesque beaches in the country. We have woodlands, forests and open countryside as well as bustling city centres in Newcastle, Durham and Sunderland. Our quality of life is simply second to none.