London Borough of Sutton case study

Opening up the Internet for schools

To meet government targets for the provision of high-speed internet access to schools, the London Borough of Sutton recognised the need for a new data infrastructure. London Borough of Sutton wanted to make sure that the new network not only met or meets government targets for schools, but could also allow connectivity to council offices and other public sites in future.

Our Evolved Ethernet met both requirements – providing high-capacity data links for schools, and offering the Council the flexibility to extend the network over time.

Planning for future connectivity requirements

Known as ‘the greener, cleaner borough’, Sutton is a popular commuter belt serving around 180,000 residents. Many families live in the area and the Borough has more than 60 schools. Our managed data network service is providing students with fast access to the internet, while ensuring the local authority can grow its communications infrastructure easily to include other council services in future.

Getting schools online

Faced with Central Government targets for the provision of minimum bandwidth levels to primary and secondary schools in the area, Sutton Council realised that its existing communications infrastructure was not adequate for the task. It began a tender process to find a supplier to replace its data network.

The easy scalability of our Evolved Ethernet Solution – offering flexible bandwidth in small increments – was particularly compelling. "A key deciding factor was the ease with which bandwidth could be manipulated," explained a council spokesperson. "The upgrade path was significantly easier and considerably cheaper with ntl:Telewest Business than with other suppliers."

Connections across the Borough

Because ntl:Telewest Business has extensive network coverage, it is easy to connect schools and other local authority sites within the Borough – and beyond. "ntl:Telewest Business’ penetration into the Borough and across South West London is good," says Nick O’Reilly, Head of Information Technology for the Council. "That’s important for us as we’re not a stand-alone organisation. We work closely with other councils and health services in neighbouring areas."

Phase one of the programme linked 31 local primary and secondary schools to the network. Subsequent phases included connections to all the remaining schools, and over 45 council locations. "Logistically, implementing the solution was challenging," said a council spokesperson. "But Sutton’s schools support team worked well with the ntl:Telewest Business project team and the resulting service has been invaluable."

A partnership for the long term

For the London Borough of Sutton, providing the best possible service to its residents is an ongoing challenge. So working with a proactive preferred supplier can only makes things easier.

In addition to its Evolved Ethernet Solution, we provide the Borough with a number of other services including telephony. "ntl:Telewest Business has delivered solutions and services that are cost-effective and efficient," says Nick. "We’ve achieved a 30% reduction on call costs over the past year – and this money is now being used to fund other services within the Borough."

What it has made possible

Sutton Council is confident that our flexible data network will support them as it grows and develops its communications infrastructure. "Continued growth has been built into our communications model," explains Nick. "It’s not necessarily a smooth curve. Some areas, no matter how meticulous the planning, will prove to be unpredictable. Evolved Ethernet can accommodate these changes, and offers the growth capacity and flexibility to meet our needs."