Jersey’s investment in the Gigabit Jersey project is helping to draw new businesses and innovators to the Island from around the world, says JT Chief Relationship officer Tim Ringsdore.
In the last few weeks Mr Ringsdore has recently attended industry trade shows and forums in Silicon Valley, Israel and Turkey. Mr Ringsdore said that the on-going high-speed fibre optic broadband project is already significantly interesting to foreign investors and companies looking to expand into Europe.
Israeli security specialists Security DAM have already used JT’s testing facility – JT Lab – to try out new DDoS protection software and have already launched their world class cyber-attack defense system into the European market from Jersey.
Mr Ringsdore, has just returned from the DLD conference in Israel, along with a Locate Jersey delegation who together were there to position Jersey as the jurisdiction of choice if you want to do business in Europe. He said: ‘The ubiquitous fibre network is a very attractive in terms of bringing new business to the Island and it is something that provokes and inspires interest everywhere that we go.
‘We know from talking to colleagues at Locate Jersey that it has been a large part of bringing not just high net worth individuals to the Island, but also that companies are reassured by the speed and security of our broadband connections to the UK and the rest of Europe.
‘In the last few weeks we have been talking to people in the US, Israel and Turkey and in every case, the capacity of the new Gigabit Jersey network is something that is a major focus of interest, particularly in the tech and online industries.’
The Israel trip with Locate Jersey followed JT’s attendance at the TC3 conference in Silicon Valley and a Fibre-to-the-Home Council event in Istanbul – the FTTH Council named JT as ‘Operator of the Year’ at their annual conference in February this year.
JT recently announced that it had reached the significant milestone of having connected 5,000 homes to the fibre network, and that it is on target to complete the Gigabit Jersey by the end of 2016. So far, JT has laid 800 km of fibre optic cable and is connecting more than 100 new homes to the fibre network each week.