Based in the Baltic Triangle, Baltic Broadband has developed a digital ‘backpack’ that has helped under pressure hospitality businesses in Liverpool stay connected. Tony McDonough reports

A Liverpool broadband company has developed a digital ‘backpack’ that it says has proved a lifesaver for hospitality businesses across the city.

Bars and restaurants have been hard hit by the pandemic, particularly when they were forced to close during multiple lockdowns. When they were allowed to reopen there was a push away from cash and towards more digital transactions.

It meant they became more dependent than ever on their broadband connections and this put a strain on their networks when it came to taking payments, orders and managing reservations, particularly at busy times.

Founder of Liverpool-based Baltic Broadband, chartered engineer Matt Wilson said he was inundated with hospitality entrepreneurs needing help when their broadband wasn’t working as it should. 

He explained: “Lots of people in the sector were calling us after weekends when their broadband went down, saying it affected their tills, kitchen orders and security cameras. It had cost them a fortune in lost business and they asked how we could help.

“And when they’re tied into contracts for years, with support from their provider arriving three working days later, it was clear there needed to be a solution.”

Baltic Broadband’s engineers got to work  developing a portable device fitted into a rucksack that could act as a full service broadband connection, getting hospitality teams back online quickly and bringing service back to full capacity. The so-called ‘Baltic Backpack’ was born.

Matt is keen to point out that this is not just a “fancy dongle”. He added: “This piece of tech is a genuine engineering solution developed over months of trial and error.

“Sticking a SIM card into a bar and hoping the signal is strong enough to make everything work wasn’t what people wanted. All it takes is a busy night with loads of users on a network and you’re back to square one.”

The firm developed the product at its labs in Baltic Triangle that maximised and matched the potential of its own network with the capabilities of multiple cellular networks to create what it claims is a “highly available and resilient solution”, allowing customers’ most important devices to stay connected at all times.

One customer told the team that it had saved them more than £15,000 in a single weekend. Matt added: “That’s why we’re so proud to have helped out during such a tough time for the industry’ added Wilson.

The Baltic Backpack has had plenty to do recently in multiple Liverpool bars and restaurants and even played a part at Cream and Sound City. Matt said: “Ultimately the plan is to have multiple Baltic Backpacks available 24/7 for the hospitality sector so teams can focus on their guests rather than worrying about the broadband working.”

Baltic Broadband supplies wireless business broadband to companies across Merseyside. Using wireless technology, Baltic Broadband has developed its own network across the region. It is entirely independent with all engineers, technical support and customer services provided by their team based in the Baltic Triangle.