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businessupdate News…


Clinic is just the tonic


Caerphilly County Borough Council Business Enterprise Support and the Rural Development Teams will be heading out to provide financial support information for businesses in the area. Aseries of roadshows, with the next


one on June 27, will offer support for those looking to start or grow their business, whatever the sector, from retail to rural or social enterprise to manufacturing the team will be able to give free help and advice about the packages of support available. Whether companies would like


advice on developingawebsite or purchasing new equipment the team will be there to help. Businesses will be able to find out if their project is eligible for financial support and get help with applications. Councillor Ken James, Cabinet


Member for Regeneration, Planning and Sustainable Development encouraged businesses and entrepreneurs to use the on hand support. He said: “Encouraging our local entrepreneurs to take the first steps into the world of business is very important for the local economy. If you have a business idea, come along and talk to the team to find out whether it could be eligible for financial support.” The Financial Support for Business


Roadshow will at Western Industrial Estate on June 27, 2012.


Tuesday June 19, 2012


Superfastbroadband goeslive inAbergavenny


H


igh-speed fibre broadband is now available to the first homes and businesses in Abergavenny, BT has


announced. More than 7,000 local householders and firms in the town are joining the high-speed revolution as engineers complete planned local upgrades in the coming weeks. This latest development will help


take the number of premises in south east Wales with access to fibre broadband to 115,000 by spring 2013. Blackwood, Chepstow, Caldicot,


Hengoed, Maesglas and the Bettws and Malpas areas of Newport have already been upgraded and Bargoed, Caerleon, Castleton, Newbridge, Pontypool,and more of Newport are set to follow later this year. The BT investment is expected to give a


major boost to the local economy. Arecent report by Regeneris Consulting


predicted that over the next 15 years the technology could give the economy of atypical town a£143m boost, create 225 new jobs, 140 new start-up businesses and 1,000 more


homeworkers. BT’s local network business, Openreach,


aims to make the high speed technology available to around two-thirds of UK homes and businesses by the end of 20141. It will useamix of fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) and fibre to the premises (FTTP) technologies. Both offer speeds much faster than those currently available to many UK homes and businesses. FTTC, where fibre is delivered to the street


cabinet, offers download speeds of up to 80Mbps and upload speeds of up to 20Mbps2. FTTP, where fibre runs all the way to homes and businesses, currently offers download speeds of 110Mbps and these are expected to be increased to 330Mbps shortly2. By Spring 2013 BT aims to


make speeds of 330Mbps2 commercially available in any area where fibre broadband has been deployed, potentially transforming the competitiveness of businesses. BT recently passed asignificant


milestone when it revealed its fibre broadband service is now available to ten million premises across the UK. The company was due to pass


that milestone by the end of 2012 so it is several months ahead of schedule. Ann Beynon, BT director for Wales, said:


“The advent of fibre broadband in Abergavenny isamassive fillip for businesses and households in the area. It will enrich people’s lives and bringamuch-needed boost to businesses in these economically challenging times.”


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