Released on: May 8, 2008, 9:51 am

Press Release Author: Calypso Harland

Industry: Internet & Online

Press Release Summary: £30 million pound investment heralds new dawn for Welsh
business

Press Release Body: London, United Kingdom, May 07th, 2008 - Geo, a Hutchison
Whampoa company and leading provider of bespoke fibre networks, has recently
announced that it has won a contract with the Welsh Assembly Government. The first
phase of the deal will see a £30 million investment over the next 15 years in the
creation of an advanced Open Access Network - FibreSpeed - that will bring
next-generation communication services to businesses across the country, starting in
North Wales. Part of the financing for the Assembly Government project will come
from European Structural Funds, managed by the Assembly Government's Wales European
Funding Office - and from Geo, the supplier chosen to build and operate the network.



FibreSpeed is managed by the Department for the Economy and Transport within the
Welsh Assembly Government, which has a remit to develop a vibrant Welsh economy
delivering strong and sustainable economic growth. FibreSpeed will contribute
significantly towards the achievement of this vision and will strengthen Wales'
international standing on the global ICT stage. It will not sell directly to the end
user, rather it will provide a platform to allow Service Providers, ISPs, Telco's
and other organisations that sell ICT services to the Welsh market to offer high
speed and high bandwidth communications to businesses and consumers in the area.


Ieuan Wyn Jones, Deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport
said: "This is a landmark day for businesses in Wales. We all want a vibrant and
booming economy in North Wales, and a high speed communications infrastructure is
one of the most important components of that. This implementation will enable
organisations in Wales to affordably utilise the communications services that other
parts of the UK already enjoy, and will encourage external investment and relocation
to the country."


"We have a vision for the Welsh economy, one that involves providing sustainable
growth and a move to a knowledge-based economy. This will help allow Welsh
employment levels to match the rest of the UK, and will also create a platform to
attract and retain high value, high skill jobs. This announcement is a significant
step on the way to achieving those goals."


The first phase of the deal will see up to fourteen business parks in North Wales
connected via the FibreSpeed network installed by Geo. FibreSpeed will be operated
and maintained on a day-to-day basis by Geo, and will support a minimum of
symmetrical 10 Mbit/s services with multi-Gigabit capability, and has the capacity
for even greater speeds as technology and demand develops. It will also enable the
setting of retail prices to match those found in London and other parts of the UK
which is critical to improving the competitiveness of businesses based in Wales.




"This contract confirms Geo's position as the leading provider of dedicated fibre
networks in the UK" said Chris Smedley, Chief Executive at Geo. "Geo's unique
business model means we are able to build and operate an entirely bespoke and open
access network for the Welsh Assembly Government to help them in their quest to
bring high speed next generation communication services to Wales at prices
comparable with the most competitive parts of the UK. We are delighted to be part of
such an exciting initiative and look forward to helping transform the Welsh business
landscape with FibreSpeed in the coming years."

About Geo


Geo is the only company in the UK to design and build bespoke dedicated fibre
network solutions. Geo's revolutionary and flexible approach means that for the
first time, organisations can own and control their networks, ensuring that
security, high bandwidth and resilience are guaranteed. Geo provides an extensive
range of solutions including fully managed networks, dark fibre, lit fibre and
co-location services. Geo.National enables network solutions on a national scale,
and Geo.Metro provides users with a 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps Ethernet service within the
London area. Customers include mobile operators, service providers, major banks and
the public sector. Please visit www.geo-uk.net for more information.

Web Site: http://www.geo-uk.net

Contact Details: PR Contact
Calypso Harland
Head of Marketing
020 7350 5831