The construction of MediaCityUK in Salford, is predicted to deliver £1.5bn to the North West regional economy alone, employment opportunities for 15,500 people and £400m of commissioning spend.
In order to exploit this opportunity it is essential for the digital and creative industry specialists to innovate and collaborate, to build a robust, competitive supply chain, which will elevate the North to be a leading force in the European media industry.
NorthernNet sets a precedent.
The speed and capacity for data storage and transmission has never before been available to Northern businesses. For the first time the North West, Yorkshire and the North East have a single, high speed, secure digital network that connects the region’s creative and digital industry sectors and customers. NorthernNet is a high speed secure broadband network enabling the Northern Digital and Creative Industries to transfer any type of media at typical speeds of 100Mbps (scalable to 1Gbps). Central to the network are 17 Media Access Bureaux (MAB), accessible through PAYG, across the North of England. Each MAB hosts a secure firewall which protects each site from intrusion from any incumbent Local Area Network (LAN) or other external sites. The network incorporates a secure Internet Gateway configured at an ntl:Telewest main exchange, connecting the NorthernNet infrastructure directly to the Internet backbone via another secured firewall. Within the MABs there is also a high speed internet browsing connection. Many applications operate across the network, including a secure Aspera FTP (File Transfer Protocol), Tandberg video conferencing and an ntl:Telewest IP (Internet Protocol) telephony system.
Connecting the Industry
Connecting the North through technology creates the foundations of the NorthernNet innovation and collaboration programme. Through the partners and resources of the NorthernNet innovation and collaboration programme, a calendar of forward thinking, visionary, industry responsive events and seminars is being developed and supported. These events will provide a free and in some cases, additionally funded, space for the creative and digital sectors to work together on buyer briefs, expand their ideas and products to survive and thrive in a multi-platform world.
Connecting Knowledge
In order to encourage collaboration and create a single platform for the region’s businesses Northern Knowledge, an extensive database and information website is being developed. Populated with information about all three regions digital and creative businesses, Northern Knowledge will serve as a matchmaking resource for buyers who will be able to search via specialism. NorthernNet is not about competing with each other but about working and collaborating together to create new opportunities, to be able to offer fresh, innovative ideas and products that will make the North’s supply chain the most robust and forward thinking in Europe.
Further information can be found at: www.northernnet.co.uk.