Press release
East Renfrewshire Council delivers eGovernment through
advanced £5 million network
- Ethernet network connecting more than
60 Council offices, schools and citizen access points with 100Mb/s
communications infrastructure
- Ultra-fast gigabit connection links
three core sites
18 October 2007. East Renfrewshire Council’s
new £5 million converged communications and data network is now
fully operational. This network, part of a five-year contract,
allows the council to provide more extensive interactive
communications with citizens as part of its commitment to making
eGovernment services available to all. In addition the council is
predicting a return in capital outlay in under two-and-half
years.
ntl:Telewest Business, part of the Virgin
Media Group, replaced the Council’s legacy 2Mb/s leased line
network with its high-bandwidth Ethernet Virtual Private Network
(VPN) product. This provides a flexible, scalable and cost
effective foundation to meet current and future bandwidth
requirements and underpin the rollout of additional services and
applications. One such money saving application is IP CCTV, which
offers higher definition images than analogue and the option to
digitally record images without the need for storing bulky tapes.
The integration has ensured improved
accessibility for citizens via the creation of multiple communities
with one public access link per site. Three access sites have been
connected with an ultra-fast gigabit connection facilitating the
sharing of network resources across sites, reducing the cost and
simplifying network management. 60 main offices across East
Renfrewshire, plus a number of smaller sites have been connected in
total. These include the region’s 30 primary and secondary schools,
interconnecting more than 5,500 PCs to provide access to richer
learning resources.
Jim Love, Project Manager of eGovernment at
East Renfrewshire Council, said: “The Ethernet VPN is a vital part
of realising our future vision and meeting government directives.
It will support a host of exciting new applications, from home
working to more CCTV in schools and public spaces, and providing
better access for citizens. Not only that but we are saving money
thanks to voice over IPT implementation. ntl:Telewest Business has
proven it can provide a complete range of products and services to
meet our ever increasing bandwidth and performance needs – and at a
lower cost than our current infrastructure. Our relationship with
ntl:Telewest Business has spanned many years and this latest
partnership cements previous projects, such as the migration of
1,500 employees to IP and creating an environment for continued
evolution to improve accessibility.
Underpinned by ntl:Telewest Business’ £13bn
nationwide core infrastructure, the rollout is one of the largest
Ethernet deployments in Scotland to date.
Christopher Small, Director of Public Sector,
ntl:Telewest Business said: “East Renfrewshire council needed a
communications infrastructure to support the provision of new
services and to manage its IT expenditure even more efficiently.
Ethernet VPN enables easier and faster roll-out of local online
applications, like intranets or eGovernment applications. The
long-term network management is less intensive than leased lines,
with one central consultant managing multiple locations. This
combined cost with cheaper equipment costs ensures that the council
can reinvest its budgets into the deployment of new applications in
the future.”
About ntl:Telewest Business
ntl:Telewest Business, part of the UK’s second
largest fixed-line telecommunications company, is a leading
communications provider to businesses, public sector organisations
and service providers in the UK. It delivers a complete portfolio
of voice, data and internet solutions nation-wide.
ntl:Telewest Business sales and support teams
are located across the UK, in close proximity to our customers, as
part of a commitment to deliver superior customer service.
ntl:Telewest Business delivers services over
the Group’s £13bn investment in its state-of-the-art
infrastructure giving business customers access to the largest
alternative network in the UK.
ntl:Telewest Business is trusted to provide
critical communications to high profile customers including:
Heathrow's Terminal 5, Birmingham City Council and Cambridgeshire
County Council.
For further information go to http://www.ntltelewestbusiness.co.uk
ntl:Telewest Business press contacts:
Sara Doggett
ntl:Telewest Business &
T: 01256 754715
E: sara.doggett@virginmedia.co.uk
Chris Measures / Rupert Walker
Rainier PR
T: 020 7494 6570
E: cmeasures@rainierpr.co.uk