Case Study - Pollard Yard
Project Overview.
Pollard Yard, a project by Meanwhile Creative, provides much-needed, affordable studios and light industrial style workspaces very near to the centre of Manchester in converted shipping containers.
It’s goal is to establish one of Manchester’s biggest creative co-working communities, and give hundreds of aspiring entrepreneurs, creatives and small businesses the space they need to grow.
The missing ingredient.
Despite the range of businesses, each have a common requirement for reliable, high speed internet.
Most of the businesses operating from the containers were using their mobile phone for all communication. But being made of steel meant that inside the containers the mobile phone and data connections were poor or non-existent.
Even when they could use their mobile phone for data tethering, the speeds were often unpredictable and unsuitable for real-time services such as video conferencing. The speeds available on traditional broadband in the area were poor and costly.
How did we help?
Digital Utilities provided high speed internet WiFi connections to all of the containers for Pollards Yard tenants, without the need and cost of having a phone line installed.
We installed a gigabit fibre service and provided each container with their own dedicated WiFi access point.
The WiFi can be used for both internet access from tablets, phones and laptops and to make calls from mobile phones using VoWiFi (voice over WiFi).
It is fast and stable and provides an enhanced marketing opportunity for landlords Meanwhile Creative to attract and retain tenants compared with other office spaces in the vicinity which have poor broadband.
For businesses that don’t want to use their mobile or want a phone service using a geographic (0161) number, Digital Utilities provide handsets and a VoIP (voice over IP) service from our hosted voice platform giving businesses the ability to make calls without needing to install a traditional copper landline.
What they had to say...
“Having worked with Digital Utilities for the last 2 years we have found them refreshing and innovative in their approach, helpful and friendly with their service and they have exceeded our expectations time and time again.
Digital Utilities have been paramount in helping us launch and bed in each of the small businesses operating at Pollard Yard and without their hard work and willingness to go above and beyond, the project would not have been the success that it has.
Every part of their provision has been exemplary.“
Meanwhile Creative, for Pollard Yard based in Manchester.
