Business ISP Fluidata to Wholesale Metronet UK’s 2Gbps Wireless Network

Business communications provider Fluidata has today become one of the first ISPs to sign a deal that will enable them to make use of Metronet UK’s recent move (here) to open up their ultrafast (up to 2Gbps) wireless broadband network to the wholesale market.

At present Metronet UK’s fibre optic fed wireless network is predominantly available around parts of the North West (Greater Manchester, Chester, Liverpool, Preston, Warrington, Merseyside, Burnley & Crewe), North East (Leeds, Bradford, Newcastle & Gateshead) and Midlands (Greater Birmingham & Tamworth) in England.

Apparently the new deal will enable Fluidata to wholesale Metronet’s Wireless proposition on a layer-2 basis to other UK ISPs and its direct business customers, which should give them a lot of control and is said to put the ISP into the “upper tier” of Metronet’s partners.

Phillip Oliver, Fluidata’s Sales & Marketing Director, said:

“Our Partnership with Metronet (UK) adds yet another world-class carrier to our Data Delivery Network. The ability to use a wireless delivery mechanism means that service providers using our platform can add fully resilient services to their portfolio; whilst being able to install ultra-fast services into locations within a month that may have had long and difficult civil work requirements with traditional fibre technologies.”

Metronet sees its wireless network as an “advanced alternative” to putting fibre optic cables in the ground, which they further claim “fills the large gap that traditional providers have been unable to fill with major benefits including reduced lead times, quicker revenue and no excess install charges.”

The addition of Metronet UK should bring the total number of “last mile” carriers plugged into Fluidata to 19.