London, UK, March 07, 2019 – The Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA) today opened its call for entries into this year’s INCA Golds, the annual awards which shine a spotlight on the UK’s leading independent network providers and highlight the most innovative digital infrastructure developments as part of INCA’s Annual Conference.
Following the success of INCA’s inaugural awards last year, which saw sector heavyweights such as Hyperoptic and KCOM gather together to celebrate the UK’s independent network builders, the 2019 awards are once again inviting submissions from network builders, operators and other independents working hard to improve the UK’s digital infrastructure.
Winners will be announced at a special ceremony, during the dinner which will mark the close of the first day of the INCA Annual Conference, ‘The Road Ahead 2020’. The conference takes place at the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel on Wednesday, October 16 and Thursday, October 17.
“We were thrilled by the response to last year’s first ever INCA Golds and it was a real honour to be able to give the UK’s altnets the recognition they deserve as they work hard to improve our digital infrastructure,” said INCA CEO Malcolm Corbett. “The important work they are doing in building their networks while ensuring the best operational performance is essential to the UK’s digital future and delivering on rising consumer expectations.”
The award categories for this year’s INCA Golds are Technical Innovation, Commercial Innovation, Urban Impact, Rural Impact, Best Community Project, Best Public Sector Impact, Outstanding Contribution by an Organisation and Outstanding Contribution by an Individual. For the first time this year, equipment manufacturers are also invited to enter the Technical Innovation category in partnership with a service provider or operator.
Last year, Simon Wade, Sales Manager at Emtelle, received the award for Outstanding Individual Contribution. Other winners were Broadway Partners, KCOM, Lothian Broadband, Balquhidder Community Broadband CIC, City of London Corporation & London Law Society and Hyperoptic.
“Being a winner of an award from an organisation as prestigious as INCA was a great personal moment for me as it recognised the hard work carried out to help smaller network operators succeed in a crowded market,” said Wade. “As a company, the award also gives us an additional stamp of approval and lets our customers know that our work and solutions have a strong reputation across the industry. For any company thinking about entering this year, I would say go for it – the evening is a true celebration of the UK’s best digital infrastructure developments.”
The 2019 awards follow INCA’s introduction of its Gold Standard Quality Mark, which highlights best practices in performance, design and operations, enabling consumers to buy with confidence when choosing internet packages.
Applications for the awards are now open at: https://www.inca.coop/awards
The INCA Annual Conference is a two-day event starting on Wednesday, October 16, that will provide industry insight and a platform for discussion among some of the most significant and influential figures from the UK’s broadband industry, including Government representatives, operators and service providers.
