Connectivity is the catalyst for London to become a global leader
May 21, 2025
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3
min read
Highlights
UK infrastructure ranks fifth lowest in the EU for fibre connectivity, leading to bandwidth constraints, slow speeds, and limited productivity. Vorboss advocates for better digital infrastructure, setting 10Gbps as the minimum necessary bandwidth for businesses to operate without limitations. The aim is to drive innovation and attract talent to maintain London's status as a global leader.
As we've seen yet another leadership change here in the UK and an emphasis on prioritising growth, we must recognise that world-class connectivity is critical for London’s global competitiveness. UK infrastructure lags far behind international competition, ranking fifth lowest in the EU for fibre connectivity. If the UK is to compete on the world stage, we need to ensure the City’s infrastructure can keep up with that growth.
Bandwidth constraints mean that slow speeds and freezing video calls are all too common, and ultimately limit productivity, but why? Faster connectivity – 10Gbps and beyond – is possible right now. 10Gbps isn’t widely available because incumbent providers are looking to protect their margins, or because their network hasn’t been built with that capacity.
Currently, most London businesses are reliant on Openreach, meaning they are all essentially buying connectivity from the same infrastructure asset, even if they are purchasing through a reseller. These legacy structures have led to poor customer service, inflated, inconsistent pricing models and overly complex installation processes. This results in a product not fit for purpose.
All of this is hampering productivity and restricting the growth of our economy. We need superior digital infrastructure to ensure businesses are not held back by something as basic as their bandwidth.
Our network is dedicated to business users only. We do everything ourselves in-house. Operating in this way removes the need for the resellers that are a precondition for accessing Openreach infrastructure. We deliver 10 Gbps as the new minimum standard, and can quickly ramp a business up to 100Gbps business internet. For any other supplier to do this would require them to rewire their entire network from scratch.
More needs to be done on an industry level to safeguard London from falling behind competitively. There are three actions which will unlock the potential of London’s businesses:
1. Connectivity has become an essential utility. In abundance, connectivity will enable growth and power the shift to London becoming a smart city. Companies must have access to a purpose-built fibre network, designed purely for businesses, without the distraction of catering for residential consumers.
2. Make 10 Gbps the mandatory minimum standard for business connections, so bandwidth should never be an issue. We will all come to expect it sooner rather than later. It should be the norm now.
3. Champion a new business model for telecoms built on great service, resilient networks and open, transparent contracts with customers.
For London to continue as a global leader, a hub of innovation attracting the best talent, and driving investment in our capital, businesses must be able to operate without limit. If we don’t get serious about removing bandwidth limitations, with the same focus that we look at removing other factors restricting business growth, we risk London falling further behind. It’s time for a step-change in the industry, and we’re proud to be at the forefront.
By Tim Creswick,
Chief Executive and founder of Vorboss
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At this year’s PropTech Connect conference in London, one message stood out. Landlords and property managers want technology that is practical and helps them stay competitive in a changing market.
Here are three trends we found most interesting:
1. Flexible, modular solutions beat one-size-fits-all platforms
Tenants today expect more from their offices, move-in ready spaces, the freedom to choose their providers, and contracts that fit their lease terms. That means landlords can’t rely on rigid, all-in-one platforms that don’t adapt as requirements evolve.
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2. Landlords need building tech designed around real users
A recurring frustration across the sector is that technology is often designed by consultants and delivered by contractors, yet it rarely aligns with the practical needs of those managing the building. Too often, property teams are left with systems that look impressive on paper but don’t work in practice. They need partners to understand the operational needs of their buildings in practice, not just on paper.
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3. Smarter use of existing infrastructure can cut costs and increase efficiency
Not every operational improvement requires new hardware. Many buildings already have the tools in place to generate useful data. Wi-Fi access points are a good example. These can be used to anonymously track space utilisation, footfall, and occupancy trends.
This data can help landlords and operators:
- Allocate bandwidth to the busiest areas.
- Adjust heating, lighting, and cleaning schedules based on actual usage.
- Optimise leasing strategies by understanding how tenants really use the space.
Are you looking for commercial technology solutions?
Vorboss can support your entire digital infrastructure: connectivity, pre-fibering, managed IT, and cybersecurity, all from a single provider. Through our acquisition of Layer8, we can help you automate building management and make day-to-day operations easier and more efficient.
At Vorboss, we're suckers for data. And no data gets us going more than connectivity data, average speeds, and the real numbers behind Londoners’ experience online.
The regulator of that data in the UK is OfCom, the Office of Communications. Recently, we’ve dug into their internet performance by postcode report, to help us demonstrate just how much of a leap Vorboss Direct Internet is vs the typical experience of speed online that a London business might feel.
This data is free for anyone to access, and we would encourage our data hungry readers to get stuck in here.
For us at Vorboss, we were able to take this granular postcode level data and use it to identify the average speeds of the boroughs that our cable network serves, and naturally compared it to our service. We’ve translated our findings into a handy map, which you can find here.
It is important to note that OfCom’s data excludes leased lines and networks deployed specifically for business. While this is frustrating because it means we can’t compare apples to apples, OfCom’s connected nations report still shows just how many businesses are getting by with only a broadband connection (known as full fibre), which are included in these numbers. For example, City of London take-up of non-leased line full fibre is 57%! Considering how large this figure is, we believe the disparity with our service is still important to highlight.
If you want to understand the differences between leased lines and broadband, and what making the switch to leased line could mean for your business, you can read our blog on this subject here.
If you’re curious to understand how Vorboss services can transform the way you work, speak to our team here.
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