Trafford Council has chosen TNP (The Networking People) as strategic partner for the delivery and support of a full fibre wide area network (WAN).
The company will provide a local infrastructure connecting to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s (GMCA) Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN), under a deal to run for three years with an option to extend for two more.
This will make Trafford one of the first boroughs in the city-region to begin to use the LFFN.
TNP said it will combine the LFFN fibre infrastructure with the most appropriate carrier technology for points it does not reach to create a single WAN, effectively creating a hybrid network for use by the council and partner organisations.
All the equipment will be owned by Trafford Council and managed by TNP. The scope of the contract also includes migration from an existing platform to the new infrastructure, and supporting the development of a roadmap for the use of the WAN and network services.
Councillor Mike Freeman, Trafford’s executive member for Covid-19 recovery and reform, said: “I am pleased that Trafford Council will be quickly utilising the newly built GM Local Full Fibre Infrastructure to operate network services across the borough. The network will provide a reliable and flexible foundation for delivering digital services to the people and businesses within Trafford.”
Technology agnostic
TNP’s business development director Chris Wade said: “As an organisation we are also ‘technology agnostic’, so will select the most appropriate infrastructure and equipment whilst demonstrating best practices to achieve the desired solution.
“Taking over management and first line support of the LFFN circuits on behalf of the council creates a single point of contact for any network related issues and is a natural progression of the services we provide to public sector clients.”
Image from iStock, solarseven
