An £11m programme to link up schools, libraries and county council buildings across Suffolk with a single high speed network has been delivered by MLL Telecom and Customer Service Direct (CSD) and was completed in January 2012.
So far 219 schools and 48,815 children have been linked into the Next Generation Network (NGN) programme. A total of 318 schools have signed up including new academies and free schools across Suffolk.
Suffolk County Councillor Graham Newman, Portfolio Holder for Children, Schools and Young People's Services, said: "When our children leave school they will be entering a business world where high speed networks are a basic requirement, not a luxury. So it's important they are learning in an environment that replicates that and gives them every opportunity to be successful in later life."
The programme has been managed by Customer Service Direct (CSD), a joint venture partnership between Suffolk County Council, Mid Suffolk District Council and BT.
CSD commissioned MLL Telecom to build a dedicated high speed fibre optic core network which initially connected about 700 sites using a range of the latest access technologies based on a fibre and copper solution provision. The network has been designed to allow shared use by any public sector organisation in Suffolk, whilst maintaining the privacy and security of traffic between the different users.
CSD Programme Manager, James Crane, said: "We are delighted to be delivering this new network for Suffolk's Schools and Council services. On-line technology allows children to learn in new ways that are tailored for the individual pupil. This network provides a safe environment for pupils to access the internet and share resources with each other."
