Community liaison makes good business sense

For residents of the relatively remote hamlet of Coatham Stob, about a mile from the village of Elton outside Stockton on Tees, getting broadband Internet access for their home offices was not possible, until the North East Regional Portal, n-e-life.com, set up satellite broadband for the community to share.

Coatham Stob is a small group of nine houses of professional people, many of whom work from their home offices, but who need high speed Internet access to communicate with companies across the globe.

n-e-life.com has supplied a single satellite connection and wired connections to the individual’s houses, and each has a fire-walled private connection to the Internet.

Dr Gordon Malan, managing director of biotechnology consultancy service Biotech-IS Ltd and a resident on Coatham Stob, explains: “As a neighbourhood we are all friendly. When we learnt that many of us were having problems connecting to the web, we decided to take joint action.

“We live in a very beautiful area of Cleveland, but unfortunately, owing to the remote location, we cannot use ordinary broadband over our telephone lines to gain Internet access, and dial-up connections are just too slow.

“When we heard about n-e-life’s funding offer, supported by One NorthEast, we asked them to install a satellite connection immediately. The initial set up was free, and to keep costs low, we split the monthly service charge between us, making the cost to each of us equivalent to telephone-linked broadband. It has radically changed the way we do business.”

Norma Foster, chief executive of n-e-life.com, adds: “Gordon and the rest of those with Internet business needs at Coatham Stob have proactively looked for a way to have that essential Internet access they need, at a discounted rate.

“We have found that a lot of smaller businesses in rural areas are ‘clubbing’ together in this way, saving them time and money. It also helps to build strong business relationships, which are essential in smaller communities, and allows these companies to network.”

n-e-life.com, which represents North East England online, can provide advice and assistance to rural businesses requiring satellite broadband. To find out more, call 0191 487 2002 or visit www.n-e-life.com/forbusiness