London’s Silent Growth Killer: The Slow‑Speed Surge
Everything you thought you knew about London’s economy is about to get a jolt. Beneath the city’s posh cafés, glittering office skyscrapers, and endless “creative” buzz, there lies a hidden beast that’s quietly holding the whole business ecosystem back: sluggish broadband.
What’s the Damage Exactly?
Imagine a startup trying to crank a million‑page report, or a design studio uploading a high‑resolution image. In some parts of Central London, the internet is so slow it feels like waiting for a snail to finish a marathon. One of our recent round‑table guests said his company’s productivity was about 20 % lower than it would be if the Wi‑Fi was actually fast. That’s a lot of missed deadlines and postponed launches.
What’s even stranger? People at home can stream Netflix in 4K, but at the office it’s like watching a pixelated film on a dial‑up connection. The result? Managers forcing staff to work from home just to keep up.
Who Got Together to Talk About It?
At LondonlovesBusiness.com, we realised that a city as tech‑savvy as London can only grow if its entrepreneurs have the right digital tools. So we threw together a morning of “Electric Minds” at Claridge’s – fast‑growth SME founders, tech gurus, and policymakers. The goal? Spin out a strategy to turbo‑charge London’s entrepreneurial spirit through better tech infrastructure.
What came out of that breakfast‑delivered brainstorming? Here’s the TL;DR from the room:
- Access Matters – Even the best product won’t shine if it can’t reach customers.
- Speed Equals Value – Faster bandwidth means more revenue per employee.
- Home – Office Parity – Businesses need to keep their staff on the same high‑speed network no matter where they sit.
- Investment is Key – Local councils and private players must step up to upgrade fibre nets.
What’s the Game Plan?
Take a page from the round‑table’s playbook: (1) Ask your city council for a modern, ultra‑fast broadband rollout. (2) Partner with a forward‑thinking ISP – a big shout‑out to Relish for backing this effort. (3) Bridge the gap between the office and the home office by ensuring both environments run on the same slick tech.
Because in the end, a city that hustles with its best digital infrastructure becomes a city that can’t be stopped. Let’s get London’s internet from “slow” to “wow” before the next wave of global competitors come knocking.
The big broadband problem in London
When Your Wi‑Fi Feels Like a Time‑Traveler
Picture this: you’re in a slick new office in the heart of London, the lights are bright, the coffee is hot, and you’re ready to crush the competition. Then you hit “.fast” and the connection stalls. It’s not a glitch—it’s an abysmal speed centre sub‑marine of London’s broadband. And apparently the city’s top brass doesn’t care.
Why the Internet Is a Bad Punch in the Face
- Mark Boleat – Chairman, Policy & Resources Committee, City of London Corporation – called London’s speeds “abysmally slow” and “completely unacceptable.” He even jabbed at the tech corridor, citing “slow broadband” there, too.
- Paul Dolman‑Darrall – Founder of Gamevy – warned that a two‑to‑three‑year wait for decent broadband could see startups die before they even hit the market.
- Thomas Davies – CIO, Seedrs – emphasised that while the UK is ahead of the US in fintech regulation, the tech infrastructure is the real weak link.
- Others stressed: “If high‑speed internet is a critical utility—like electricity and water—then feeling the lag is a real productivity killer.”
New Offices, New Nightmare
Many firms don’t even think to run a speed test before signing a lease. Once the papers are signed, they discover the internet is stag‑slow. It’s essentially a “party in the wrong venue” case: great space, no speed.
Even those who try to factor in broadband during the office hunt struggle because London’s real estate market is a high‑stakes game. The horsepower that landlords have to match production costs doesn’t include a willingness to install super‑fast broadband.
Landlords: The Unengaged Negotiation
Enter the landlords—often overseas and “one‑step ahead” of their tenants. A three-year lease gives them little incentive to upgrade fibre; they’re out of the picture.
Nicholas James – CEO of wireless provider Relish – nailed the issue. “It’s hard enough to get tenants to act when landlords are not local or invested in the benefit of your faster connection.” The result: prohibitively high costs and long delays.
Bottom Line
“Fast internet isn’t a luxury; it’s a lifeline,” folks say. In a city that can already move the company instead of its customers, a sub‑30 mb/s broadband slows you, not an entire corporate juggernaut. Until landlords and developers can join forces on a bandwidth upgrade, you may be stuck in a slow‑online time warp.
London’s Broadband Blues: Why Your Startup is Paying for Speed
Let’s face it – getting dependable internet in the capital feels like trying to win a marathon against a snails‑paced traffic jam. Leased lines from BT can drag you up to £500 a month, plus hefty installation costs, and you’re often stuck waiting weeks, sometimes months, just to get your Wi‑Fi humming.
Why the Wait? The Struggle Beneath the Streets
- City of London policy chair Mark Boleat points out that digging up the road is a massive headache. Every time a contractor wants to lay fibre, they’re squaring off with businesses that NEED road access.
- Because of this tug‑of‑war, the city’s broadband speeds’re lagging. The struggle to roll out new fibre feels like a slow‑moving parade.
Enter Relish: A Modern Fix
Imagine a tech startup that decided to skip the boring old cables and built its own 4G LTE network. That’s Relish – a fresh entrant that launched this summer. Instead of traffic jams, they’re offering up to 50 Mbps for small businesses, and even higher speeds for the big players. It’s like swapping your dial‑up for a hot‑shot espresso.
Other Cities: The Speed Trailblazers
- In Bristol, Manchester, Portugal and even Eastern Europe, businesses are moving because the internet is fast enough to keep them competitive.
- Relish’s Nicholas observation hit the sweet spot: London’s landlords are slower, because they’re not on the ground. In other UK cities, landlords have their eyes on the local street, making it cheaper and quicker to upgrade broadband.
Bottom line: London’s internet woes are costing SMEs more than just a few pounds – it’s costing them time, salary, and a competitive edge. If your startup is feeling the pinch, it might be time to look past the pipes and explore alternatives. After all, the quickest route to success is the one that keeps you online without the traffic that’s an eye‑roll for any avid internet user.
Four great ideas for improving London’s broadband
What Can Be Done? A Real Talk on Fixing London’s Slow‑Mo Internet
We’ve got a bunch of brilliant ideas from folks who’ve seen the problem firsthand. Let’s break them down, sprinkle in some banter, and keep it real: No more “hanging on a dial‑up line.”
1. Public Broadband Ratings for Every Building
- Think of it as the “Speedometer of the City.” Every residential and commercial block gets a rating that’s featured in every property listing.
- Thanks to Hong Kong, buildings there already brag about their gigabit rates. Nicholas from Relish shares that landlords feel the pressure to upgrade because tenants (and buyers) notice the numbers on the take‑away:
- “Drag yourself up a ladder to get faster internet!” – the bright‑spinned twist on buying a home.
- Want to profit? A start‑up called RateMyBroadband.com could charge a small fee for those ratings. What’s the point of a rainbow if you don’t let the clouds get the job?
2. Two‑Way Internet for Businesses
- Picture this: Every office gets hairpin‑2-ways – a wired backbone plus a wireless backup. If one hiccups (or the Wi‑Fi starts acting like a baby with a tantrum), the other kicks in.
- “Resilience isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.” Nicholas nailed it, testing his theory on a makeshift in‑office network.
- This dual‑path approach is like having a spare pair of socks in your backpack – you never know when you’ll need them.
3. Get Landlords Failing Their Tenants
- Even if one tenant dares to champion better broadband, landlords could blast this to every other tenant: “Zoom classes, live streams, online sales… all happen faster if the plug is plugged in at full voltage.”
- Local and national government can nudge landlords with incentives (think 5£ tax breaks for every patch of high‑speed fiber installed).
- It’s a win‑win: landlords attract fast‑internet savvy tenants, tenants get reliable connections, and the whole building feels connected.
4. Businesses Team Up, Just Like Rural Communities
- Rural towns have gotten better broadband by pooling resources and lobbying as a united front. Why not London’s corporate neighbourhoods?
- James from Digital Shadows suggests group‑buying – a cluster of offices in the same block can lock in deals that are cheaper than each signing alone.
- Picture a council of coffee shops, a market of startups, and a lattice of tech firms brand‑blessing to create a “super‑fiber” with a capital investment shared across the neighbourhood.
Bottom line: Faster broadband isn’t just a luxury; it’s a necessity for a thriving city. Share the ideas, spread the look, and let’s turn London from a “slow‑mo” glitch into a “super‑flow” triumph.
The other tech problems damaging growth…
The Knowledge Gap
When you’re not a tech insider, picking the right tech role can feel like trying to find the right key in a drawer full of spreadsheets. You’ve got the buzzwords—AI, cloud, data analytics—but no idea whether they’re the secret sauce your business needs or just a trendy garnish. And let’s be honest: if you’re not convinced that a new IT upgrade will actually touch your bottom line, the idea of building a server room from scratch can feel like a bad plot twist.
A Shortage of Tech Talent
Recruited-wise, London is a bit like that popular new café that’s hard to get a table in during rush hour. Even if you know which role you need, there’s a bottleneck in finding skilled people.
- Outsourcing has been creeping up: More London businesses are shipping their tech projects overseas. Toby Babb, founder and MD of fintech recruitment firm Harrington Starr, warns that this trend is a “big worry” because it keeps London out of the local sales game.
- Off‑shoring = cheaper but chaotic: Tom from Seedrs agrees that while overseas teams can trim costs, coordinating them “becomes a nightmare—especially when you’ve got no internet for Skype.”
- EU talent looks promising: Our guests see recruiting from inside the EU as a win, but visa headaches keep them from tapping into the rest of the world’s talent pool.
Visa Hurts and Business Growth
When visas become snags, the whole hiring engine stalls. Think of it as a traffic jam on the tech highway—everything gets stuck until you find the right ticket.
So, What to Do?
Instead of whimpering over talent shortages, Boleat suggests dialing up your MPs to champion the importance of high‑skill immigration for London’s businesses. The message is clear: local growth depends on careful recruitment, a solid talent pipeline, and investment in education.
Bottom line: if London’s future is going to be powered by tech, the city needs to keep its talent ladder open and, maybe, equipping people with a few more digital tricks.
With thanks again to Relish for their support, and to all our guests:
Meet the Digital Dream Team
Adrian Tripp – Chief Executive, Key20 Media Limited
Adrian steers Key20 Media, turning everyday content into viral gold. He’s the CEO who makes sure that stories not only get read but actually stay on screen.
Colm Sheehy – Senior Economist, Centre for Economics and Business Research
Colm crunches numbers like a coffee‑driven mathematician, turning market data into bite‑size strategies that even your grandma can understand.
James Chappell – CTO, Digital Shadows
James keeps the tech humming in Digital Shadows – where the only thing hidden is the server room’s secret Wi‑Fi password.
Mark Boleat – Chairman, Policy and Resources Committee, City of London Corporation
Mark balances policy pacts with a coffee mug, ensuring the city’s digital ecosystem thrives without a bureaucratic glitch.
Munir Samji – Chairman, Blitz GES
Munir leads Blitz GES with the enthusiasm of a sports manager, turning energy transitions into win‑win scenarios.
Nicholas James – CEO, Relish
At the helm of Relish, Nicholas is the mastermind behind a new communication provider that’s giving pipelines a run for their money. Think of him as the speed‑yogi of broadband.
Paul Dolman‑Darrall – Chairman and Founder, Gamevy
Paul built Gamevy into a gaming juggernaut, bringing the joy of play to an organizational level. He’s like a game designer for businesses.
Rob Walker – CEO, BIE Group
Rob leads BIE Group with a vision that blends community spirit and technology, ensuring the next wave of business stays grounded.
Thomas Davies – CIO, Seedrs
Thomas keeps the seed‑funding platform’s tech runway smooth, putting investors and innovators on the same schedule.
Toby Babb – Founder and MD, Harrington Starr
Toby makes Harrington Starr a firm that stands out like a lighthouse in stormy markets.
Tony Goodwin – CEO, Antal International
Tony steers Antal International with a steady hand, discovering talent as if it were a hidden gem in a vast treasure chest.
Will Harnden – CMO, Relish
Will champions Relish’s brand with wit and charm, turning marketing messages into conversation starters.
From Our Partners…
Relish – The Fresh‑Air Broadband
Launch this summer, Relish brought a fresh burst of broadband straight to start‑ups and small businesses. Using its own 4G LTE network, the company delivers:
- High‑speed connections up to 50 Mbps
- Even faster options for larger businesses
- No hidden hand‑sets – just pure flat‑line data flow
Picture the network as a brisk, reliable breeze that keeps your business breezing through emails and video calls without any lag. 4G technology means you’re not stuck in the dial‑up past – more like a quick espresso shot of internet power.
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