NorthernNet launches 17 'Media Access Bureaux' across North West
NorthernNet today launched a network of 17 Media Access Bureaux (MABs) located within business, cultural and educational sites across the North. The NorthernNet digital pipeline offers transfer speeds that are 20 times faster than the average FTP, transferring 1GB of data in 1minute 20 seconds, speeds that, until now, were only afforded to major international creative and digital companies.
The UK’s first 'Pay As You Go' access to a high speed, secure digital pipeline is to boost the North’s £21billion digital and creative industry and produce a new regional superpower within the sector.
Funded by regional development agencies across the north, the NorthernNet project aims to capitalise on any commissioning spend from the BBC’s arrival to the North and ensure that the region’s independent and smaller digital and creative industries are ready to collaborate, secure and deliver new projects.
Film production, advertising, PR, design and games development are just a few of the industries that will benefit from download and transfer speeds of 1GB per second, enabling them to deliver higher-quality work in record times. The superfast broadband will enable advertisers to compete in real-time advertising, while animators and web designers will be able to collaborate with partners and clients more efficiently, sending large files within minutes.
Each MAB is equipped with the Aspera file transfer protocol and is available for use in hourly slots. For £60 an hour, companies will have, for the first time, access to fibre optic bandwidth that is 20 times faster than current FTP speeds.
Lewis Webster, MD from video production company, Little Orchard, in Manchester said: “Currently we upload files to video servers to play out for clients – typically this is done at the end of the day and some of these files take five-six hours to upload; done here at NorthernNet’s MABs, it is more like minutes than hours. “Think what you could do with all that extra time to converse with your clients – you don’t realise how much money you are wasting on people and time in simply uploading files.”
The Northwest of England has the largest concentration of people working in broadcasting outside London and 10 percent of the of the UK’s game development talent is based in Yorkshire. The North East alone employs 35,000 within the creative and digital industries. To promote the forging of partnerships that span the three regions, NorthernNet has also launched an innovation and collaboration programme so companies can share knowledge and showcase the work they do.
Mercedes Clark Smith, Project Director of NorthernNet Innovation and Collaboration Project said: “This is a crucial time for digital and creative industries. The BBC move to MediaCityUK will bring with it a great deal of commissioning spend and it is up to us to ensure that it stays in the North. NorthernNet will give agencies an edge in creativity and quality as the MABs will enable film makers to amend more quickly. Bringing the Aspera FTP to the North will boost our industry and make us a highly attractive proposition to clients who need speed and efficiency from their digital and creative companies.”
To find out more about NorthernNet or to book a session at a MAB please visit: www.northernnet.co.uk.
