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THE LOOP
A vast network of cabling, stretching for 48 miles (77 km), will supply ultrafast connectivity with speeds reaching 1 GB/s and beyond to Greater Manchester.
CITY FACTS
With a growing economy, excellent transport and communication links to the whole world, plus a booming cultural, arts and social scene, Manchester is the ideal city to secure your business success.
STATISTICS
- Population: 2.5 million
- GDP: £28 billion – 38% of the national GDP
- Manchester has over 100,000 students at its four Universities, Manchester, Manchester, UMIST, Manchester Met and Salford.

TRAVEL
- Manchester International Airport is the UK’s busiest airport outside London, with flights to over 190 destinations.
- Manchester Airport handles 21 million passengers(and should hit 22m this year) and 112,000 tonnes of cargo every year
- Hainan Airways now operate regular flights direct from Manchester to Beijing.
- Manchester is served by four motorways (M60, M56, M62, M6) that provide direct links with Leeds, Liverpool and Birmingham.
- It takes just two hours to get from Manchester to London by train.

INDUSTRY AND EDUCATION
- Now with the largest single-site university in UK, Manchester’s university system has produced 25 Nobel Prize-winners amongst staff and students.
- 19th century Manchester was the centre of the industrial revolution, and was known as ‘Cottonopolis’ on account of its global cotton trade.
- Sir Freddie Williams invented the world’s first computer (called ‘Baby’) in Manchester in 1948.

MUSIC AND SOCIAL LIFE
- The Phones 4U Arena seats over 20,000, and is the largest arena of its type in Europe.
- Manchester is a highly innovative music city, having produced bands such as The Smiths, Oasis, The Stone Roses, New Order, James and The Verve.
- There are over 500 licensed pubs and bars in Manchester city centre alone.
- Manchester’s velodrome built to Olympic standard has been cited as the catalyst for British success in cycling since 2002.

COMMUNICATIONS
- The Loop is a vast network of cabling stretching 48 miles within central Manchester.
- Laid when Manchester hosted the Commonwealth Games, The Loop supplies ultra-fast connectivity, with speeds reaching 1 GB/s and faster.
- The Loop is integral to Manchester’s bid to become one of the world’s top digital cities by 2020.
