Top UK cities to start a new digital business

26th November 2018

digital business

When looking at the best places to start up and grow a new business, it’s no surprise that strong digital business access is considered essential when it comes to making the list.

Business support firm Informi carried out a study to identify the top 20 best places in the UK to start a small business – with a high level of access to ultrafast broadband one of the key criteria. The results? The top spot went to Ipswich, which has good coverage of both Openreach’s superfast network and Virgin Media’s ultrafast cable platform.

Start-Up’s Cities Index 2017 gave digital connectivity similar importance when naming its top 25 UK cities to start a new business outside London. Access to business support, including accelerators, science and business parks with superfast broadband, were, once again, all highly valued.

Oxford made the list due in part to its impressive Science Vale UK Enterprise Zone, one of the most well-regarded science park complexes in the UK, providing world-leading facilities including superfast broadband.

Closely following Oxford was Gloucester, a region that saw almost 4,000 new businesses start-up in 2016.

And Hull landed its spot largely because of its enormous Enterprise Zones, offering a range of benefits including superfast broadband.

But the question remains – do UK businesses have the technology they need to meet the growing pressures of the global economy?