When Simon Rowland took over as CEO of Excel Helicopters in June 2020, he saw the difference a full fibre connection could make to the company's operations.
From their base in Stapleford Tawney, Excel Helicopters offers helicopter charter, maintenance and restoration, as well as helicopter sightseeing tours over London.
“When we bought the business, we realised it needed modernising and fibre broadband was an essential tool for us to use,” he says. “A lot of the systems we use now are cloud-based so it’s really important we’ve got a solid connection.”
Excel Helicopters was included in Superfast Essex's Phase 2b rollout of full fibre, which was delivered in partnership with the network provider Gigaclear. Under this phase of work, more than 3,300 homes and businesses in Epping Forest District were given access to ultrafast full fibre broadband.
Full fibre has enabled Excel Helicopters to move from paper-based accounts to a cloud-based system, use flight planning software seamlessly, access online forms and materials from the Civil Aviation Authority, as well as get aircraft off the ground more efficiently.
Graham Carter, Operations Manager, says: “A fast internet connection is important for us because we have to share quite large files in short periods of time. Before a pilot takes off, he normally has to send me high resolution images of weather and his flight plans which we can send off and file, so any delays in internet speed would delay our operation.”
Watch our video to see how full fibre has helped move Excel Helicopters from the 90s to the 21st century!
Check if full fibre broadband is available or if your address is in plans to be upgraded to ultrafast speeds using the Superfast Essex rollout map: www.superfastessex.org/interactive-maps