UK managed network services provider MLL Telecom says it has received a 20-year contract from the Suffolk County Council for a WAN extension project that will see connection of more than 600 public sector sites for provision of gigabit broadband services. As part of this initiative, MLL will partner with fiber to the premises (FTTP) builder and operator CityFibre to install, operate, and own a 114-km dark fiber backbone network across 10 county towns to enable connect to more than 300 of the targeted public sector sites.
The fiber-optic network expansion project launched in January. CityFibre has begun the planning process to connect its 10 towns, which include Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Lowestoft, Haverhill, Felixstowe, Woodbridge, Sudbury, Stowmarket, Mildenhall and Newmarket. The Suffolk County Council will fund the project via a £5.9 million award from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of the third wave of its Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) Challenge Fund.
“Through this new 114-km fiber network, our councils, NHS clinics, fire stations, and more will be able to access leading-edge connectivity, which will have a real economic and social impact in the region,” said Chris Bally, deputy chief executive at Suffolk County Council. “Better, more reliable internet access for our public services will bring untold benefits – like more investment, more jobs, and more businesses. We couldn’t be happier to get this work underway, and to welcome the next generation of public service delivery.”
The fiber network expansion is the latest step MLL has taken with the Suffolk County Council, with whom the company has worked since 2012 (see "Zhone helps MLL Telecom connect 600 public sector sites in Suffolk, England"). MLL says its approach to the WAN, redesign of the core network, and restructure of the dark fiber network will set the stage to evolve toward a software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) approach that will enable a self-orchestrated network infrastructure that enables customer self-service portals.
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