Combined authority appoints consortium to identify assets and set out actions to maximise connectivity
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has appointed a specialist consortium to deliver a Digital Infrastructure Plan aimed at boosting its connectivity.
The deal has gone to a group led by the social enterprise Community Broadband Network and technology and regeneration consultancy Adroit Economics, and will be managed by the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) on behalf of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
It will map the city region’s existing infrastructure assets, identify opportunities to best use those assets and suggest potential operating models for the city region’s digital infrastructure. The plan will also set out specific actions to maximise digital connectivity and drive economic growth.
Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “We have extraordinary resources here that can put us at the forefront of the fourth Industrial Revolution.
“In Southport, the GTT transatlantic cable provides ultra-fast broadband connectivity between the UK and North America. At the Hartree Centre in Daresbury we have one of the most sophisticated super computers dedicated to research and development in the world, as well as IBM’s Watson cognitive computing platform. And we are working to harness the power of the River Mersey to create predictable, plentiful, sustainable energy.
“My vision is to link these incredible resources together to connect every business, school, university, hospital and home in our area, with the best connectivity speeds in the whole country.
“It is vital that we get this right which is why we needed to go out and find experienced specialists in the field of digital infrastructure deployment.
“This Digital Infrastructure Action Plan will provide clear recommendations for how we can make our vision a reality, modernising our economy, and driving innovation in areas like health and social care, enabling us to build a healthy and prosperous future for our people and the region as a whole.”
Image: Liverpool skyline, public domain from Wikimedia
