Sheffield's 3 St Paul's Place to feature 'ground-breaking' broadband service in new 10-year deal

3 St Paul’s Place in Sheffield city centre will now feature some of fastest internet access in Yorkshire, following a 10-year deal with Idaq Networks.

The new deal enables Idaq, also based in Sheffield, to house its network equipment on the roof of the 10-storey building.

This will provide the occupiers of the 78,000 sq ft building with superfast broadband.

Jonathan Gale of Manchester-based developers CTP, commented: “This is tremendous news. Idaq Networks are one of the most respected hi-tech companies in the region and this ground-breaking service for our occupiers at 3 St Paul’s Place will be of immense benefit.

“High speed Wi-Fi internet access is absolutely crucial for businesses in this highly-competitive commercial world and now our occupiers will be safe in the knowledge that they have the best broadband possible, thanks to the most modern equipment on their roof.

“These occupiers, who include some of Sheffield’s leading firms such as Arup, Freeths, BDP and Handelsbanken, need the very best internet access and we are exceptionally pleased to provide this for them.”

Mike Hague of Idaq commented: “3 St Paul’s Place is an exciting new addition to our portfolio of cell locations in the area and it’s integral to our network expansion planned for Sheffield city centre. It’s great that we’re able to work in partnership with CTP to provide the best connectivity options available to their clients.

“We anticipate that the immediate availability of speeds up to 5Gbps to both existing and prospective tenants, will add even more attraction to a site that has so much to offer. Our presence on site also enables us to offer tenants a number of other potential benefits that further enhance the desirability of the location.

“Owning our own Data Centre and having multiple links to other cities means that we can also connect any company moving into the building to other sites they may have around the country. It also allows us to provide services such as Private Cloud, Disaster Recovery and Voice Over IP solutions, to name but a few.”

3 St Paul’s Place, developed by CTP and U+I and built by Bowmer & Kirkland, is the final part of the £130m Heart of the City project. It is the first speculative office building in Sheffield to be developed since the recession.

The construction of 3 St Paul’s Place went ahead following an agreement between CTP and U+I, with Sheffield City Council and the Department for Communities and Local Government.

CTP and U+I are being supported by Sheffield City Council, regeneration agency Creative Sheffield; Sheffield City Region JESSICA Fund, which was set up to support infrastructure and real estate investment opportunities across the region, and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

St Paul’s Place is a mixed-use scheme which features the 161-bed St Paul’s Mercure 4-star hotel; No1 and No 2 office developments occupied by lawyers DLA Piper, RBS, Barclays, accountants PwC, Coutts and the Department of Children, Schools and Families; a 330-apartment residential tower block; the “Cheesegrater” car park, operated by Q-Park; a casino; and restaurants and cafes including Pizza Express, Piccolinos, Café Nero, Bill’s Restaurant and Café Rouge.

The marketing agents for 3 St Paul’s Place are the Sheffield office of Knight Frank, together with the Leeds offices of BNP Paribas and Cushman & Wakefield.

Mike Hague added: “Sheffield city centre is on the verge of becoming one of the most advanced in the country in terms of connectivity. There are exciting times ahead for both Idaq Networks and CTP and we’re looking forward to a long-term partnership that offers both organizations some really exceptional benefits.”

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