Faster internet speeds promised as part of £4.6m transformation

Schools and council services should see huge benefits

Quicker internet speeds are being promised for schools and office workers as part of a £4.6 million contract to transform Fife Council’s computer network.

MLL Telecom, from Marlow, Buckinghamshire, has won the deal to boost capability for local authority sites over the next five years.

Fife Council say the move will cut costs by more than 25% over the term of the contract.

Under the terms of the agreement, MLL Telecom will replace the existing wide area network (WAN) infrastructure, which connects computers geographically far apart.

Pupils and teachers and Fife should also benefit, as MLL Telecom is aiming to deliver a boost in speeds to all secondary schools and an increased bandwidth, which will help address demands for cloud and internet services in classrooms.

Charlie Anderson, chief information officer for Fife Council, said: “It is critical that we receive the right level of connectivity to meet our increasing digital needs.

“The enhanced bandwidth will positively impact on many council services, particularly in education, where the increase in internet-based teaching has placed added pressure to upgrade our connectivity.”

MLL Telecom has also pledged it will support science, technology, engineering, arts and maths initiatives across primary and secondary education, create apprenticeships for local people and work with charities.

It follows recent contract wins for the company in Stirling, South Ayrshire and Perth and Kinross.

Craig Scott, the company’s business development director, lives in Fife and said he was delighted to see his firm selected.

“With the ever increasing pressure on public sector budgets, connectivity is high on the agenda of public sector organisations and councils such as Fife are recognising the value of enhanced connectivity for the delivery of public services, particularly in education,” he said.

Work is due to begin at the end of August and should be completed by September 2020.

The enhanced bandwidth will positively impact on many council services, particularly in education. CHARLIE ANDERSON, FIFE COUNCIL