The Westwood Park Centre for Business, in Little Horkesley, near Colchester, has made a substantial investment in the latest broadband technology.

It means companies based at Westwood Park can have a 24-hour unmetered internet connection, enabling them to reliably receive and transmit electronic data at high speeds.

Westwood Park's IT manager Jeff Tann said: "We provide our clients with what they need to be able to do business using the latest technology."

The investment was made in conjunction with Colchester's new status as a member of the Cambridge/Ipswich Hi-Tech Corridor and the IP-City steering group - created in April 2000 to provide a platform for economic growth.

One client to reap the benefits is Stewart Braybrook, managing director of computer games company Strategy First, which has its headquarters in Canada.

Westwood Park is using leased lines which means that it has exclusive use of the full capacity, technically known as uncontended, with transfer of data being extremely fast and reliable.

Mr Braybrook said: "The new system is perfectly suited to the way we do business. We must have instant access to our e-mails and be able to transfer large files and software extremely quickly. It also enables me to keep in touch with my colleagues in Montreal via video conferencing.

Published Wednesday, April 10, 2002