A Scottish telecoms company has hailed a £22 million contract to transform a council’s digital infrastructure.
Edinburgh-based Commsworld secured the Northumberland County Council deal to carry out the work over 20 years.
It involves replacing its ageing network with full-fibre infrastructure which will also provide businesses and communities across the county, including its most rural areas, with access to faster, high-quality connectivity.
It will see Commsworld deliver 262 kilometres of new fibre infrastructure to nearly 150 council sites. It will also enable access to more than 120,000 residential and business properties across the county to Fibre To The Premises.
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The fibre infrastructure will be linked to Commsworld’s next-generation network in which it invested £10m.
Bruce Strang, chief operating officer of Commsworld, said it is its first major contract of this kind in England, “having delivered massively enhanced infrastructure to local authorities in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire and the Scottish Borders”.
He said: "We are looking forward to bringing the full, transformative benefits of our Optical Core Network to Northumberland.
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"Through the network, and working with our partners – including forward-thinking local fibre providers such as Alncom – we can provide a step change in connectivity and resiliency right across the county, bringing huge benefits to all those who live, learn and work there."
The contract will also see Commsworld work in partnership with the iNorthumberland team at the council, Community Action Northumberland and the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) to tackle digital poverty, alongside digital skills and confidence within the communities of Northumberland.
Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council, said the long-term approach "marks a new and historic way forward for the council and its positive impact cannot be underestimated".
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He said: "We are one of the first rural counties in England to focus on changing the lives of our communities by not only providing the infrastructure to give them ground-breaking access to full-fibre broadband, but future-proofing the system so it can adapt and grow according to the needs of everyone who lives and works in Northumberland."
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