1000Mbps Broadband Service Gifted To Creative HQ

Monday, June 25, 2007
For immediate release

Broadband providers combine to gift 1000Mbps service to Creative HQ

CityLink and FX Networks are combining to support the future of Wellington business by making local business incubator Creative HQ the envy of their peers - and private companies - nationwide.

Many of the incubator's high-growth businesses require high-speed broadband and will soon be able to access a fully-sponsored 1Gbps service, plus related services.

Creative HQ general manager Mark Robotham says the announcement puts Creative HQ among the best-connected business incubators - not only in this country, but internationally as well.

"To have these companies come together to provide us with this service is unbelievable, and it has happened because they want to support the future of Wellington business and the IT community in particular," says Mr Robotham.

"Now our start-up companies have the cyber-capacity to do virtually anything they turn their creative minds to, and run live video conferencing or host webcasting seminars with our sister incubators."

Creative HQ is Positively Wellington Business' business incubator for high-growth start-ups.

Three more companies have attained challenging high-growth targets and will graduate from the programme next week (Tuesday June 26) - ICT-based companies Karactaz and StarNow.com, and fashion company deNada.

When approached to quote for a 10Mbps solution, CityLink instead offered to sponsor a service that is 100 times as fast.

"We believe in Creative HQ's mission of providing assistance to Wellington's best creative start-up ventures, to be successful in the global market," says CityLink managing director Neil de Wit.

"Our PublicLAN1000 is a 1000Mbps Ethernet-based, open access service to your ISP," he says.

The ExchangeNET (WIX) connection will enable Creative HQ to peer at the local exchange, and CityLink will also provide a router managed 24x7 and significant IP Network expertise.

Nationwide fibre optic data network FX Networks already works with Creative HQ, so choosing to partner to boost resident companies' connectivity was a 'no brainer', says general manager of internet services Jamie Baddeley.

"We'd had some discussions working with Creative HQ on how we could boost their connectivity across the country, so we were ready to roll," he says.

"We're keen to help New Zealand take the brakes off the way it connects across the country and with the world," he says.

"Getting Creative HQ on board a real Internet Backbone is a step towards that - and we're pleased to be working with our friends at CityLink to help our customers leap ahead once again."

FX Networks' sponsorship package also includes mentoring services and training courses, to optimise Creative HQ resident companies' usage of the new technologies.

ENDS

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