Last month, RHM’s Managing Director, Nick Thomas, spoke at a networking event for GlosBiz. Here local business leaders gathered to share their thoughts on the state of the business world in our area. GlosBiz is Gloucestershire’s largest business networking event, and provides some fantastic insights into the local business environment.
Nick first took the opportunity to explain where RHM fits into the wider Gloucestershire business network. RHM has been supporting business in our home county since 1992. From our base in Quedgeley we’ve seen advancements in Gloucestershire’s internet, mobile and telecoms offering. In this time there’s also been a lot of upheaval in the industry, but none more pressing than the big switch-off.
During the event, Nick gave an explanation of the switch-off itself. In 2025, BT Openreach will be switching off the landline phone network, and businesses will have to replace them with IP based telephony. Even as early as next year, businesses won’t be able to buy new landlines.
There was also a discussion about just how much the business environment in our area has changed in a relatively short space of time. Most of the room had never used a video call before the pandemic, and now use them every day. This shows the benefit of having a local provider that can provision these services quickly when needed.
Nick provided an overview of how new technology will impact, and has already impacted, our county. The rollout of 5G will allow for more choice when communicating on the move, as long as there’s a reliable signal in the area.
At the same time that the big switch-off is taking place, Gloucestershire will be undergoing a fibre revolution. Local FTTP providers will be rolling out new superfast connections to hundreds of business throughout the South West. Previously only a select few businesses in our area could access these connections, so it provides a huge new opportunity. You might already have noticed the streets of Gloucester and Cheltenham being dug up to add in these new cables, but we promise it’s for a good cause!
If you’d like to find out more about the event, Nick’s full talk is up on our RHM YouTube channel. Alternatively, if you’re concerned about the big switch-off, we’ve recently created a web page with a huge amount of resources and explainers to help guide you through it. Finally, to get in touch with RHM just give us a call at 0345 136 60 60
Our MD Nick Thomas at the #Glosbiz networking breakfast Q&A – YouTube
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