INSIGHT
Now live: New fibre routes and high bandwidth services into Equinix Manchester MA5 data centre
At Virgin Media Business Wholesale, we’ve recently launched new diverse fibre routes and very high bandwidth service platforms into the Equinix flagship site, Manchester MA5.
This new point-of-presence (PoP) is the latest in an extensive list of over 160 data centres that our national network has connectivity to. As the most network-dense ecosystem in the UK outside of London, Equinix Manchester MA5 offers premium colocation and long-term capacity catering to hyperscalers, connectivity resellers and enterprises requiring ultra-low-latency connectivity.
What does that mean for our partners?
The new platforms directly enable 10Gbps and 100Gbps managed services for partners looking to take advantage of our managed backhaul network solutions including National Ethernet and National High Capacity Services (NHCS), while also offering high counts of Dark Fibre.
These new upgrades offer complete diversity and provide a cost-effective way for partners to build their own network infrastructure at scale. By pre-provisioning capability at these sites, we can drive down costs and complexity, enabling partners to bring connections online much more quickly. It’s all part of our commitment to evolving our services to meet our partners' needs and deliver an improved customer experience.
"Virgin Media Business Wholesale's launch of new fibre routes and network platforms at Equinix’s MA5 data centre reflects the increasing demand for digital services and the need for network service providers (NSPs) to keep up with the accelerated pace of innovation. Leveraging Equinix's technologies, NSPs can deliver high-quality, profitable services. This further investment in Manchester will help the UK's position as a strategic digital business hub, where a 43% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in interconnection bandwidth is expected by 2025, driven by network, content and media, and financial services demand."
Lorraine Wilkinson, Regional Vice President, UK at Equinix
What’s next?
Equinix Manchester MA5 is the second significant development in the upgrade of our NHCS offering. The first of which was the launch of an enhanced core network in December 2022, using the Virgin Media O2 fixed optical network to provide high bandwidth, ultra-low latency connectivity with no distance limitations.
Along with MA5, we are upgrading our network capability at four further key data centres in the UK including: Equinix LD5, Equinix LD8, Telehouse North and Global Switch, which are all live now.
These network upgrades are all the result of Project Spark, our ongoing multi-million-pound investment programme to transform our 10Gbps and higher portfolio.
As Project Spark gathers pace, we are committed to providing our wholesale partners with more efficient and cost-effective network solutions, further increasing the reach and diversity of our dark fibre capabilities across the region. We have many more exciting projects expected to launch soon, including Metro 10Gbps and access network upgrades.
Want to learn more about how these network upgrades could benefit you? Get in touch with your account manager to find out more.
Not partnering with us yet? Get in touch with us at WholesaleBD@virginmedia.co.uk.
If you want to discover more about the benefits of NHCS, check out our dedicated webpage here.
