Infracapital-backed network builder and UK ISP Ogi, which is rolling out a new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across South Wales (100,000 premises are already covered / RFS), has today announced the completion of their network expansion to connect businesses in Cardiff’s city centre economic gateway.
The central Cardiff build began in early 2023 (here) and was focused on serving “parts of the city that have seen significant growth in recent years.” But the original announcement also made clear that their aim was to support the “city’s vibrant business districts” and “without the need for expensive leased lines.” Cardiff is also home to Ogi’s HQ.
Now, after an extensive programme of work to connect businesses in the city’s Ocean Way industrial zone, the next phase of Ogi’s work focuses on the Central Square enterprise zone and surrounding area, including St Mary Street. This is partly being supported by Ogi’s new 70km long Dark Fibre network (here), which spans the South Wales trunk road into England.
This latest city centre milestone is said to form part of the company’s broader plans across Cardiff, bringing state-of-the-art connectivity to businesses, and visitors alike – including work to upgrade the connectivity at Cardiff’s iconic Market as part of the £6.5m restoration.
Ben Allwright, Ogi’s Chief Executive Officer, said:
“Our capital city is home to some of the UK’s leading businesses, and many are Wales’s largest home-grown organisations as well as public sector, educational institutions, cultural and historic sites and key new developments.
These businesses are typically bandwidth hungry and tech savvy – and deserve cutting-edge, enterprise-grade services. As a leading Welsh telco, we’re working hard to support their operations, growth and productivity, enabling next-generation tech such as AI in a bid to help drive the Welsh economy forward – and make Cardiff one of the best-connected cities in the UK.”
We should point out that the vast majority of Cardiff and surrounding areas are already covered by gigabit-capable broadband networks, mostly via Hybrid Fibre Coax (Virgin Media) solutions and Full Fibre (FTTP) infrastructure from the likes of Openreach, Hyperoptic, FibreNest (Persimmon Homes) and the community orientated Michaelston-y-Fedw CIC project. But Ogi now have a growing presence in that central industrial / business area around the coast.