ONE of the UK’s leading network providers has been heralded as a ‘crucial’ element of Scotland’s digital revolution during a visit from the Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands.

Paul Wheelhouse MSP visited the Edinburgh base of Commsworld following the firm’s record year of revenues.

The disruptor telecoms firm has enjoyed a flying start to 2019 by securing a multi-year, multi-million pound contract with a FTSE 100 company in England and regularly competes with household names to deliver a fleet of foot service providing internet speeds 100 times faster than the UK average.

The rapidly growing firm is now the operator of the largest privately owned network in the UK, allowing it to almost triple its size of existing dark fibre and connect to more than 20 of the UK’s major cities, including Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham and London.

Mr Wheelhouse met with Commsworld Chief Executive Ricky Nicol to find out more about the firm’s success and ambitions for the future.

Mr Wheelhouse said: “This government’s commitment to digital connectivity is the most ambitious of any administration in the UK.  We are determined to put Scotland at the forefront of the digital revolution and to allow all of Scotland to benefit from this.

“Commercial activity is crucial in helping us achieve our ambitions and I welcome the role that companies such as Commsworld are playing in that regard in complementing our investment and driving demand on to new infrastructure.

“The challenging nature of Scotland’s geography, coupled with low population density in rural and island areas, makes Scotland one of the most challenging places in Europe to deploy broadband infrastructure.

Ricky Nicol and Paul Wheelhouse MSP.

“However, we have great ambition for improved coverage and our £600 million R100 programme is committed to extending superfast broadband access to every home and business in Scotland. We have therefore focused procurement for R100 in rural and island areas, where it is needed most.”

Commsworld, which was established in 1994 and also has offices in Aberdeen and Glasgow, has been able to build on strong support from customers to meet the high demand for fast internet speeds and centralised cloud services.

The new privately owned network contracts with CityFibre and Zayo mean that Commsworld can offer its renowned low-latency network connectivity across the whole of the UK, representing what is the largest investment of its type in the firm’s history.

Paul Wheelhouse MSP and Charlie Boisseau

It has also become one of a few select companies to be awarded Mitel’s ‘Platinum Partner’ status in recognition of the top standard of service the company provides.

Ricky Nicol said: “It’s an extremely exciting time for not only our business, but the wider industry as a whole.

“Investment in the UK’s network infrastructure is essential to meet the increasing demands placed on it and safeguard the nation’s future prosperity.

“We’re proud to play such an important role in delivering this and are firm believers the best connectivity shouldn’t be restricted to just London but rather every inch of the country.

“It was a real pleasure to welcome Mr Wheelhouse to our office and are delighted to hear that he and his team are firmly behind making Scotland one of the best connected countries in Europe.”

Originally experts in telephony, Commsworld has diversified and provides entire communications solutions for SMEs through to multinationals and the public sector.

It supports thousands of the country’s leading organisations with business-critical internet, data and voice communications.