Colt House is new headquarters in centre of London’s tech hub
London, 29th November 2016 – Colt Technology Services’ continued transformation into a disruptive force, delivering high-bandwidth network services and a best in class customer experience, requires a refocus not just of strategy and culture, but also of location. As a result the business has moved to a newly refurbished headquarters in the heart of East London’s Tech City.
Born almost 25 years ago as City Of London Telecom, Colt has traditionally had a base close to the capital’s financial district. Surrounded by legal firms, financial services businesses and consultants, the company proved itself by serving the City, before looking further afield into Europe and Asia.
2016 has been a year of great change. In January, Colt welcomed Carl Grivner as CEO, and in November announced a major, system-wide network upgrade enabling customers to future proof their connectivity with 100Gbps bandwidth. The new premises at 20 Great Eastern Street allows Colt to move with the times, positioning itself close to London’s Silicon Roundabout, the heart of East London Tech City and UK home of tech start-ups.
London’s Deputy Mayor for Business, Rajesh Agrawal, commented on the move, saying: "Colt's decision to expand to new premises in the heart of Tech City is further evidence that London's strength as a tech hub keeps on growing. The capital's vibrant tech scene is the envy of Europe and Colt's continuing commitment is another sign that London is open to talent, innovation and entrepreneurship from around the world."
The move will also allow Colt to grow. The company is in the process of hiring over 300 new sales people, some of which will join the existing 700 UK employees at Colt House.
Carl Grivner, Colt CEO, said: “Colt has made a quarter of a century of investment in the City of London and for evidence of this you don’t have to look any further than in the streets where we have built our fibre.
“Colt recognises that the technological development incumbent on network operators is not just about reliability or meeting today’s needs. Our task is to prepare the world for enormously greater need for bandwidth through enabling the digital transformation of business. The future is about enabling gigabit speeds and high quality connectivity, across the city, the country and the world.”
Clear progress in being made. Until recently, City of London business tenants faced long negotiations with various parties each time they wanted to get broadband fibre installed. But earlier this year the City of London Corporation in partnership with Colt and other providers significantly reduced the time and cost it takes to get London businesses online, further driving the growth of digital enterprise.
