Freedom Fibre is no longer able to complete a contract to roll out gigabit-capable broadband to 12,000 premises in north Shropshire in full, due to changes in the external market, in a new report from the government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) Agency.
Thu, 2/03/2023 - 10:47
Northumberland County Council has awarded Commsworld a £22m contract to transform the county’s digital infrastructure over the next 20 years.
Commsworld will replace the county’s Wide Area Network with 262km of new fibre infrastructure that passes 120,000 premises and connects nearly 150 council sites.
The network will be linked to Commsworld’s Optical Core Network (OCN), which will act as the spine from which wholesale fibre broadband providers can branch out into towns and rural areas.
The Local Full Fibre Network project funded by the Government will be utilised to uplift connectivity for 110 Northumberland schools.
Through the contract, Commsworld will work in partnership with the iNorthumberland team at the council, Community Action Northumberland and the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise to tackle digital poverty and boost digital confidence within communities.
COO Bruce Strang said: “This is our first major contract of this kind in England, having similarly delivered enhanced infrastructure to local authorities in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire and the Scottish Borders.
“By working with our partners we can provide a step change in connectivity and resiliency right across the county.”
