Communications

The telecommunications network in Wrexham is provided over a state-of-the art fibre optic backbone, which is capable of delivering high bandwidth capacity, where required by an investor.

All the most advanced communications technologies are available, including such services as ISDN, Megastream, SMDS, Cellstream ATM, Frame Relay, Internet and video services. This capability will enable investors to maximise the effectiveness of their businesses through the competitive advantage provided by the leading-edge communications technology available in Wrexham.

The network utilises SDH technology, providing companies with the highly resilient service, which is vital to the success of modern business. In addition to these existing benefits, BT is able to design and build a network to a company's individual specification, ensuring that any level of bandwidth or resilience requirement can be accommodated. This aspect of the communications service available in Wrexham will become ever more vital in the future, as converging technologies reshape the business environment.

Looking to the future, the Independent Television Commission has recently awarded an independent provider a cabling contract for North Wales and a sizeable area of North West England. The company's operational headquarters, including the headend, will be based in Wrexham.

Scottish Telecom have laid cables as far as the boundaries of Wrexham and, having already entered into negotiations with senior personnel of Wrexham County Borough Council, are set to move into the area. The company is keen, not only to serve the Wrexham area, but to use Wrexham as a primary centre for its operations in the wider area.

Call Centres

When looking at the UK and the other European Countries as Call Centre locations it is worth considering the effect of Market Displacement.

Within the European market place, the UK represents about 18% of the total population. Other countries such as Netherlands (5%), Rep of Ireland (1%) and Belgium (3 %) have significantly smaller populations. This means that if a Call Centre is operated from the UK, there will effectively be a home market of 18% and an overseas market of 78%. The same formula applied to Ireland means that a Call Centre in Ireland would have a 1% home market and a 99% overseas market.

Most Call Centres offer their customers a Toll-free access number. The cost to the Call Centre owner of an International Toll Free service is significantly more than that of a National Toll Free service. All inbound calls from "overseas" will attract International Toll Free charges so a Call Centre located in Ireland, Belgium or the Netherlands would have a significantly higher volume of International calls than an equivalent UK operation, making the cost of the Toll Free service significantly higher.