UK Connect gains further support for Fusion construction connectivity

Beard Construction has joined the Vistry Group in adopting the Fusion service to improve productivity on building sites.

The launch comes with the UK government targeting the building of 1.5 million homes by 2029, meaning that housebuilders are digitising their processes for the purpose of increasing operational efficiency.

UK Connect – which claims to be the UK’s leading provider of enterprise connectivity, internet of things (IoT) and professional services to the construction sector – says this digital transformation can only be supported with a stable internet connection.

The organisation believes every IT director in construction recognises that poor connectivity costs time, delays safety compliance, blocks remote services and generates hidden expenses. It regards Fusion as fulfilling this demand for remote connectivity by combining 5G, fibre and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into a single, seamless network.

In practice, Fusion is designed to eliminate the complexity of juggling multiple networks and service providers. It offers a single, unified service that automatically selects the optimal network for a client’s site, essentially, as it says, keeping builders connected “without the headaches”.

It is engineered to use all available wide area network (WAN) sources, including software-defined (SD)-WAN plus load-balancing, link-bonding and application-based traffic steering. In addition, it is claimed to offer highly resilient redundancy options for “maximum” service assurance; enterprise-grade security supporting secure access service edge and zero-trust; 24/7 proactive network monitoring, management and support; reassurance; and transparency on cost per site.

Operating in central southern England, Beard Construction is a family-owned construction, development and property services company. The company delivers design and build, new build, restoration and refurbishment projects up to £30m in value, and provides turnkey maintenance services for smaller projects. It believes its work combines traditional craft skills, modern management techniques and effective teamwork to help customers achieve their ambitions.

Teresa Wilkins, head of IT at Beard, said: “We would highly recommend UK Connect. They care about the solutions they provide and the people using their services.”

The Beard deployment comes just weeks after Vistry Group, which claims to be the UK’s largest homebuilder, appointed UK Connect as its exclusive on-site connectivity partner, in a move said to represent a significant change in how one of Britain’s largest companies connects its sites, workforce and technology.

With hundreds of construction sites across 26 regions, Vistry was juggling multiple suppliers, inconsistent network coverage, restricted data plans and a lack of real-time oversight, all of which were at odds with the company’s increasing reliance on IoT and cloud technologies.

The decision to consolidate all connectivity under UK Connect is said to have arrived after years of struggling with fragmented, underperforming networks across construction sites.

Now, said UK Connect, Vistry could establish a new standard with a service that will rethink the delivery of communication services for the industry. “We needed to move beyond short-term fixes,” said Ben Rich, IT director at Vistry Group. UK Connect’s Fusion solution provides us with the consistency, control and confidence we require to scale, without the usual pain points.”