Norwich University of the Arts is campaigning for Norwich to be included as a 'Super-Connected City' with ultra-fast broadband provision, and superior connectivity for mobile phones.

Businesses in 'Super-Connected Cities' get extra help with connectivitym and the university's move is backed by local MPs, the regional Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the City Council.

So, why should Norwich be considered for the next round of investment, when we are arguably more famous outside our region for our medieval history and the beauty of the Broads?

The answer lies in the rapid growth in the Digital Creative sector, based in the city centre, and identified in the Norwich City Deal as a major engine for economic growth.

The sector is chiefly made up of small and medium-sized businesses – often abbreviated as SMEs – and such companies, never short on ideas for new creative business, need government investment in the infrastructure to enable them to grow, and create jobs for the city.

As leader of the New Anglia LEP Digital Creative Sector Group, I can see that in order for the sector to prosper, it is vital that the infrastructure in the city is suited to commercial requirements, and that investment is focused on building an environment in which talented creative technologists can grow their business and hence create high-value new jobs for our local economy.

As vice chancellor, I saw the opportunity to place Norwich University of the Arts at the centre of the development and strengthening of the Digital Creative Sector in Norwich.

NUA graduates in film, animation, design and games design are fuelling this start-up community, and see entrepreneurial new opportunities for digital creativity that will generate national and international revenue.

While they are with us at NUA our students develop their ideas without concern for the limitations of internet provision.

The university benefits from a 500MB provision, and uses in excess of 100MB each day… but once they leave, the picture is very different, where even 'superfast' broadband provision offers only 30-60MB.

Next year will see NUA open a city centre incubation centre for digital creative business with funding from the LEP and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. This facility will create an environment with the support required for new ventures to grow in their early stages.

In a recent survey of potential users of the centre, fast broadband provision was named as the most important requirement of the set-up, with 87pc of respondents identifying it as vital to the success of their business.

The 'ultra-fast' provision promised to Super-Connected Cities will offer a minimum of 80MB – a key selling point for entrepreneurs deciding whether to stay and create their businesses in Norwich, and for businesses from outside the region, looking for a location where an excellent quality of life can be combined with the right conditions to do business.

However, we will have a fight on our hands to secure this funding, as several other UK cities and towns are also aware of the potential employment and economic benefits that super connectivity will bring and we need a strong and united voice to make our case. Perhaps the last word should go to Tom Wood, co-owner of Foolproof, an international, market-leading user experience design agency based in Queen Street, Norwich, and co-founder of Hot Source, a popular meet-up group for the Digital Creative Industry.

He said: 'Our business is headquartered in Norwich with offices in London and Singapore. We're a knowledge business so we need to move large design, video and document files between locations – often under tight deadlines. The leased-line internet connection we have is terrible value for money: expensive and slow by national and international standards. Higher speeds and more competition would have a positive impact for our business and others in the city.'

Like Tom – and many others – I see this as a significant opportunity for our city and I hope that Norwich may soon be able to add to its many other attractions that it is also a super-connected city.

Professor John Last is vice-chancellor of Norwich University of the Arts