Visitors to Manchester’s Pride Festival next month can expect ‘ultrafast’ broadband thanks to a fast-growing tech firm.
GLEEfi (Gay Lesbian Everyone Everywhere) is the new Wi-Fi broadband product being installed through 1GB internet pipes based in key locations in the village by business support firm OneTek Business Solutions.
It means visitors can expect speeds up to 1GB, putting it in the top 1 per cent of internet speeds in the UK. Currently, public WiFi in the village runs at around 2MB – 6MB.
The Manchester Pride Festival runs over the August Bank Holiday weekend and features performances from artists including Pete Tong, 808 State and Alexandra Burke.
“One of the longstanding issues in the village has been the slow, snail-paced internet speeds especially during peak hours and events like the Manchester Pride Festival,” said OneTek business development manager Davina White.
“We are delighted to have worked with some iconic venues and business owners in the village to install and deliver as a community based project and offer access to more than 100,000 people at Manchester Pride and throughout the rest of the year, ultrafast connectivity.”
White added that OneTek is on a mission to roll out its ultrafast WiFi solution to other events across the UK. The company is already in talks with other LGBT-specific festivals, music festivals and communities.
OneTek was launched in 2008 by Lee Donaghey and provides WiFi solutions to villages, towns and community spaces across the country and as well as IT support to businesses of all sizes.
The announcement has been hailed by business owners in the village, including Jack Williamson of Richmond Tea Rooms.
He said: “We are excited about seeing the effect of faster broadband speeds in the villages. We’re confident it will be good for business even long after the festival has finished when people realise they can get the fastest WiFi speeds in the city here in the village.”
Phil Burke, chair of the Village Business Association, added: “Internet speed has been an issue in the village for quite some time now and we are supportive of new initiatives to give village-based businesses a commercial advantage.”