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What challenges do smart cities face – and what solutions can digital infrastructure provide?

An interview with Stephen Blackburn, Smart Cities Lead for Leeds City Council 

There is no doubt that smart city technology is increasingly being factored into urban planning. Confronted with ever-increasing populations, cities around the world are striving to make urban areas more liveable, in easily scalable ways. For many local authorities, investing in forward-thinking smart technology is a great source of pride, and there is often competition among cities to implement the most innovative solutions.

During pandemic lockdowns, it’s become clearer than ever that everyday human activity has an immense impact on the natural environment. Greatly reduced emissions and office energy demand gave nature a chance to breathe and inspired a new push for sustainability. Smart city planning will certainly benefit from this increased appetite for eco-friendly initiatives and ideas.

But as much as public sentiment is turning in their favour, smart cities are still in their infancy and governments and authorities attempting to get them off the ground still face a raft of challenges.

Where are the roadblocks?

As the Smart Cities Lead for Leeds City Council, one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the UK, Stephen Blackburn is familiar with the obstacles.

He says: “One of the key challenges we need to overcome is finance. Investment into the use of new technology needs to be made, which will enable a switch from traditional, often people-based processes. Because of this, winning over ‘hearts and minds’ will be essential – with both staff who may feel threatened by new technology and customers who may be wary or less tech-savvy.

“A human-centred approach is required. We need to increasingly involve members of the public and users from the outset to co-design and produce solutions – this will increase the likelihood of take-up.

“We should also bear in mind that in a world dominated by the likes of eBay and Amazon, customer expectations of how they request and have services delivered, are constantly increasing.

“Of course, we also have to be innovative, co-designing solutions that address city challenges, test and trial new technologies in safe environments, and generally accept a fail-fast culture.”

What are the answers?

Leeds is making some impressive progress in its smart city efforts. A notable example is the Careview app, which develops heat maps of social isolation hotspots by collating reported signs of potential loneliness such as piles of rubbish or post.

Travel also features prominently in Leeds’ smart initiatives. The council is investigating how sensors can be used to advise drivers of parking spaces, while traffic lights are being rebalanced to favour sustainable modes of transport and three local urban traffic management systems are being consolidated into a single, cloud-based system.

Blackburn sums up Leeds’ collaborative approach: “Local authorities act as the convenor, to bring relevant parties together. There needs to be a clear strategy as to what the focus of the city is over the next five to ten years, and who are the partners and contributors that can assist in the delivery of it.”

Above all else, Leeds is concentrating on the benefits of open data and connectivity. Over 60 organisations share their data with the Data Mill North website, managed by Leeds City Council. While real-time data on air quality will be used to encourage more environmentally friendly habits in citizens.

In terms of connectivity, the council is ensuring residents have access to the fastest and cheapest broadband possible, as well as introducing free Wi-Fi to community buildings. Leading this charge towards total connectivity, Blackburn is well aware of the importance of the underpinning dark fibre networks. He says: “The infrastructure needs to be future-proofed. For example, facilitating the roll-out of gigabit fibre broadband that can support the delivery of 5G, which in turn supports the delivery of enhanced services.

“As technology progresses, bringing with it increased automation, it’s important that the infrastructure is already in place to facilitate its roll-out. 5G will revolutionise our lives in the future: how we deliver and access services and how we travel, for example. Therefore it’s important that as a nation we are not left behind and build the infrastructure today.”

What’s next?

As Blackburn says, 5G will have a huge impact on people’s lives, particularly in its support of the Internet of Things (IoT). Some of the changes will be highly visible: autonomous cars, robots in healthcare and highly advanced augmented reality. Other technologies will play a much more understated role, with everything from smart bins to parking apps quietly making our everyday activities easier and easier.

But what experts like Blackburn get really excited about is what 5G and greater connectivity means for data – and what we’ll be able to do with that data.

“As we collect more data, we’ll be increasingly reliant on machine learning and artificial intelligence to help us better understand it. This may be a slow transition as we will need to assure ourselves that the data is correct and that the recommendations the system is producing are accurate and what we would expect to see. End-to-end processes could also become increasingly digitised, for example with systems automatically instructing tradespeople to carry out remedial work on properties without any human intervention in between.

“Digital and data ethics will become an increasingly important issue, for example with machine bias potentially leading to decisions being made that exclude certain individuals or communities. These may not be realised until it actually happens, but we need to be mindful and mitigate wherever we can.”

However, before cities can even contemplate using big data, they need to invest in the prerequisite core connectivity. 5G and other networks need this foundation to make IoT connections possible. For any cities that are serious about becoming smart cities, now is the time to invest in digital infrastructure. Otherwise, they risk being left behind in this exciting new stage of digitalisation, and to the detriment of their citizens.

“We have been working successfully with Neos Networks for 20 years, evolving how we collaborate over time. In 2020, we decided to use Neos Networks' robust, ultra-fast connectivity to improve the delivery of public services in our region. All with the aim of boosting economic activity and quality of life for citizens and businesses in the local area.

Neos Networks is combining its existing extensive fibre network with Physical Infrastructure Access to create a brand new end-to-end Dark Fibre network, improving efficiency in 190 public sector locations, including schools and NHS sites in and around Aberdeen. They are conducting the work with a clear strategy from the outset which has enabled the total construction requirement to be reduced by around 80%, meaning the project is minimally disruptive.”
“The gigabit-capable connectivity provided by Neos Networks is a key part of future-proofing not only our city but also the wider Perth and Kinross rural area. Neos Networks’ technical expertise in enabling smarter cities, combined with its ability to undertake this project as economically as possible with minimal disruption, means that we’ll be getting great value for the DCMS and Tay Cities Deal investment, alongside our ongoing collaboration over the next 20 years.”

– David Littlejohn, Head of Planning and Development, Perth & Kinross Council

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FTTP vs FTTC: What's the Difference for Business?

Product Director Mark Charlesworth provides a detailed introduction to EoFTTx, from service availability to business benefits.

In a world of hybrid working and vast data demands, having the right business connectivity solutions in place has never been so vital. So, it’s great news for companies across the UK that the Government is investing millions in replacing the country’s old copper network with a full fibre alternative. But to really make the most of this upgrade, businesses must be prepared to change their connectivity strategy.

At Neos Networks, the product team is always hard at work identifying and responding to the changing needs of the market, leveraging the expertise of our engineering teams and assessing customer feedback to spot new opportunities.

It was this process that led us to the realisation that smaller, evolving businesses were in need of a hybrid solution that sat between traditional fibre broadband and a dedicated fibre ethernet connection. The answer: Ethernet over FTTx (EoFTTx) – a hybrid solution for businesses that want all the benefits of full fibre Ethernet but at a more achievable price point. It can also work just as well for larger businesses that have diverse network needs.

As Product Director Mark Charlesworth believes: “Traditional broadband has been used as a sticking plaster for too long, but it has failed to provide the levels of quality and data throughput that our customers demand within their networks.”

We sat down with Charlesworth to answer the pressing questions about EoFTTx, from service availability to business benefits. Here’s what we discovered.

What types of EoFTTx services are available?

FTTx is an amalgam of terms. The various acronyms that we use cover multiple iterations of broadband network architecture, depending on the use case and configuration.

Currently, there are two types of EoFTTx services available: Ethernet over Fibre to the Cabinet (EoFTTC) and Ethernet over Fibre to the Premise (EoFTTP).

They are both robustly monitored to ensure connectivity services operate at peak efficiency 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

What is EoFTTC?

EoFTTC traditionally utilises an access tail from a third-party organisation, like Openreach. It then combines the selected third-parties network with an underlying copper telephone line.

Offered in capacities of up to 80/20Mbps, it works by running fibre from the exchange to the street cabinet, and then copper from the street cabinet on to the customer’s premise.

What is EoFTTP?

Where EoFTTP really differs from EoFTTC is its use of pure fibre connectivity, end to end.. This means it can provide fibre from both the exchange to the street cabinet and onwards into the customer’s premise. This in turn provides higher bandwidths (EoFTTP bandwidths range from 115/20Mbps to 1000/220Mbps), sub-1Gbps.

We offer EoFTTP on a national basis meaning as soon as the FTTP services are available in the street cabinet close to a customer’s premises, we can offer them this upgraded service.

What types of businesses can benefit from EoFTTx?

EoFTTx is a great fit for small to medium sized businesses looking to upgrade their connectivity services, in particular retail, education, offices and business parks.

EoFTTx will benefit those looking for a more reliable connection at capacities better suited to their expanding business models versus business broadband – all with business continuity options included as standard.

Neos Networks offers asymmetric bandwidth with higher downstream bandwidth available to upstream. We configure the service over our network to give customers the maximum downstream and upstream available with their level of access.

EoFTTx is also a scalable solution. For customers looking to move data between sites, providing connectivity for homeworking or allowing access to buildings via wayleave permission, EoFTTx offers a cost-effective, low bandwidth connectivity service at the lower end of the Ethernet spectrum. It essentially delivers an ethernet connection from a device in one location to a device in another.

How quick is EoFTTx to order and roll out?

EoFTTx is a solution that can be delivered up to 50% faster than full fibre Ethernet. Typical delivery timescales average around 15 working days, making it a perfect solution for businesses looking for a speedy implementation.

We all know that business connectivity needs have changed dramatically over the last few years. Services like, EoFTTx are well placed to support this change in attitude. The service is ideal for growing customer segments who want cost-effective business connectivity, without the full-scale commitment that often goes alongside.

Neos Networks provides class-leading connectivity and our experts have the industry experience and knowledge to develop and scale as your customers evolve.

Contact us to learn more about the technology in detail, including how it compares to other solutions in the market, how to identify customers the service might be suited to and understand why you should be adding this service to your product portfolio.

Request access to our self-serve portal LIVEQUOTE to start quoting and ordering the service for yourself.

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Time for transformation: our objectives for digital evolution at Neos Networks

By CFO, Steve Forbes, Neos Networks

Our business has always been a home for innovation, accelerated development and positive evolution. This year, however, change within our business will take on a renewed focus, as we reach the culmination of a significant and wide-ranging transformation programme.

Transformation is always a major topic – as any of us working in the telecoms and technology sector know. But most of the time, a business like ours is looking outwards and talking to prospective or current customers about how we can help them drive their transformation. Now, this project is a chance for us at Neos Networks to open the door on our own transformation agenda, so that you can see what it’s like, what’s informing our processes and how we hope to improve our business as it develops. This is a chance to explore transformation as it’s happening, instead of talking about it theoretically.

And why? It’s simple really. This is a huge project. Transformation is so often done in a piecemeal fashion, with small projects building up over months and years. Ours is on a much larger scale, with substantial and wide-ranging transformation happening in a defined time period to significantly benefit our people, our clients and our mission.

Why we’re transforming

Initially, our transformation was driven by an important change in our business. We’re in the process of decoupling from the SSE Group, moving to a new ownership model and an exciting future for our company. Of course, being part of the wider group has been hugely beneficial – and we’ll retain some of that in the future. Yet change is always a good spur to look at how we can do things better and improve over the long term.

The watch word here is strategy. Our programme is guided by clear goals to create service improvements for our customers and operational improvements for our business. We’re cutting order to delivery times from months to weeks, with some services aiming to reduce 90 day cycles to 30. In billing, we’re making payment cycles easier to plan for and manage. And we’re creating smarter solutions, so customers can self-serve on things like routes, latency and packet loss. On top of all this, the technologies coming on stream offer greater automation capabilities, which will give our experts the time and space to become proactive, creative problem solvers for our customers.

However, our transformation is not only about tools and tech. We’re guided by ambitions that will improve our network itself, ensuring it’s in robust shape for the communications and connectivity challenges of the remainder of this decade and beyond. We know that a future-facing, modern telecommunications business needs to be agile, robust and able to grow and flex as the market demands. Our transformation work today is enabling that, creating the conditions for our success and yours.

So that’s why we’re transforming: to ensure our business is fit for the future and ready for any challenges that our customers, and our competitors, might throw at us!

Digitally transforming our systems and processes

Central to our strategy is understanding what customers need from us today and what they are likely to need in the future, and how their expectations in terms of experience are changing. That means thinking about things like remote portals where crucial information can be easily accessed, self-service offerings, and for us to be easier to do business with in all areas.

In practice, we’re focusing our transformation across three workstreams that we believe will yield meaningful improvements. The first, Business Support System (BSS), will cover transformation in sales as well as order management and billing systems. While ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) will look at HR, finance and procurement. And a new IT programme will create a new set-up process from a dedicated helpdesk, improved end user computing (including new hardware for everyone ) and better user applications.

Each workstream will inform the onboarding of key new technologies, acquired through a rigorous process that ensures the right fit for our business, our customers and our collective future. So we’re confident that the planned technological changes will drive tangible improvements in many aspects of all of our day to day jobs. Whether it’s Workday (ERP) to modernise our financial and HR planning, Talend to transform how we use data, or the major role that will be played by Cerillion (BSS) in streamlining our lead to order and order to invoice processes.

Importantly, the work we’re doing now is also about laying the groundwork for future improvements. It’s almost cliché to say that transformation never really stops. But in our case, it’s certainly true that the industry we operate in will continue to change over time, and there will be new and advanced technologies that our connectivity services will need to enable. We want to be ready for that, so you can be too.

Find out more

There’s simply no understating the scale of the transformation programme we’re undertaking here. Our separation from SSE Group is a time of huge opportunity, but also complexity as we reposition our business, and take a fresh look at how we can best serve our customers. Fortunately, we are no strangers to complex commercial challenges. And we will carry out this programme with a clear objective to offer our customers and partners better service, a better network and a better business relationship.

Follow us on LinkedIn to learn about future developments in our transformation programme.

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Exploring the ecosystem set to deliver a gigabit economy for Scotland

Managing Director of Wholesale and Smart Infrastructure, Sarah Mills, Neos Networks

On Thursday 10th June, I was delighted to participate in a virtual event held by Host in Scotland, the body established to represent and promote data centres across the country and forming a key part of Scotland’s digital future. Chaired by the organisation’s founder, James King, I was joined by representatives from Moy Materials, Iomart and Ciena, but the presentations began with a view on the importance of the data centre in modern e-commerce from Will Ringer at ARC:MC.

Will kicked off the event by explaining that we are currently in the midst of very turbulent times, in which industry is challenged by the demands of decarbonisation targets, a burgeoning requirement for the rapid transfer of data and revolutionary changes in employee working environments. Combined, these lead to an increased reliance on data centres and major changes in the strategy of building new facilities.

With environmental targets in mind, the data centre is rapidly becoming integral in driving efficiencies and enabling green processes to work effectively. An example of this might be with the generation of power and its transmission across smart grids in the energy and utilities sector. In this scenario, the transfer of real-time data from sensors and smart infrastructure is imperative in ensuring the production of electricity is optimised, and carbon footprints are minimised.

Meanwhile, some businesses are now building supply chain facilities closer to their main sites in order to aid efficiencies. This is especially prevalent in the manufacturing sector. The same thinking applies to the location of new data centres, and it’s becoming more commonplace to find these built as part of the same complex as their anchor tenants. The close proximity of the data centre is important in reducing latency in the transfer of information. And with reduced space required to accommodate employees as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s predicted that more compact data centres will be established in more urban and inner-city locations, with floors of office blocks filled with racks of data rather than desks.

 

Data centres: How do they enable industrial progress?

Data centres now form a central part of local and regional ecosystems. Their proximity to industries is imperative in the growth of economies and the proliferation of job opportunities. Will’s presentation not only brought this transition to light, but also brought about the notion of ecosystems underpinning the digital economy of nations.

This was echoed in the presentation delivered by Cathal Quinn and Brian Conroy of Moy Materials; a construction firm specialising in roofing technology. They talked of the need to build data centres with both domestic and global regulations in mind, as well as the universal requirement to be more environmentally friendly. As such, they have developed solutions to diminish the reliance on power to cool data centres, as well as condition monitoring technology to detect roof leakage or structural faults in real time.

It’s this kind of technology that relies upon the core connectivity services offered by Neos Networks, further demonstrating the criticality of an ecosystem that works collaboratively and effectively. A point to which Reece Donovan of Iomart alluded, it’s an ecosystem which must receive commitment from both the public and private sector, with particular emphasis on supporting the local workforce and nearby organisations in driving forward the digital ambitions of the nation.

 

How does supporting local economy drive global investment?

This consideration of local economy is an initiative Neos Networks has prioritised in our digitisation of the Aberdeenshire council network. During my presentation I discussed in more detail how, during this build, we took on five local apprentices and upskilled the workforce in the region to ensure a timely roll-out of connectivity services. We also took the time to deliver careers presentations to schoolchildren in the region.

But on a wider scale, the CNI-grade fibre we have installed will mean data centres in the area can now perform to their full potential, and with initiatives to expand reach out to landing stations on the Scottish coastline, we are enabling connectivity options for transatlantic hyperscalers looking to route into the British Isles. In addition to this, Neos Networks are investing heavily in their exchange presence across the UK, more than doubling our reach by the end of 2021 with 550 exchanges due to be on-net, which includes an extension to our Scottish footprint. By expanding our reach across the country, Neos Networks is seeking to provide largely under-served areas with premium quality fibre infrastructure, and offers backhaul from the nation’s data centres throughout the rest of the United Kingdom.

With a range of terrains across the region, we’ve had to adopt various deployment methods in order to deliver on this project, but it’s flexibility such as this which breeds success and contributes to the maintenance of the ecosystem driving innovation and improvement of Scotland’s digital infrastructure. However, my colleagues on the call seemed to concur that greater flexibility from all those operating within the ecosystem would be welcomed.

 

Greater government focus on regulation

One crucial part of this would be a review of legislation. To date, regulation has provided fibre suppliers with access to the Dark Fibre network, exchange connectivity and PIA infrastructure owned by Openreach, but there are still obstacles to overcome if all are to benefit. For example, there are no options to commercialise or grow the Dark Fibre infrastructure beyond an initial customer and end point, and with PIA, the OPEX can still be prohibitive when attempting to provide compelling Dark Fibre economics to the end customer.

Like all those presenting at the event, Neos Networks is committed to supporting the digital economy of Scotland.

  • We believe in the opportunity for Scotland and we are focused on supporting the ambition by bringing ubiquitous Dark Fibre network reach across the country.
  • We fully support carbon neutral targets for Scotland by continuing to focus on enabling the digital grid programme in the energy sector.
  • We can build on our existing customer base relationship with data centre owners, hyperscalers and MNOs to help grow the gigabit economy in Scotland.
  • We will always consider the community benefit as a top priority.

The landscape of Scotland requires expert engineers and field forces, with specialist tools and vehicles to deploy infrastructure at significant cost compared to standard builds. Neos Networks is experienced and equipped to design, deploy and maintain networks in the region. But we do need help to bring Dark Fibre economics to the public sector, the MNOs and the data centres through government-led regulation. I am confident that with this in place, the ecosystem driving forward Scotland’s digital future will be running as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

Why high capacity connectivity is here to stay

Director of Wholesale Business Development, Simon Willmott, Neos Networks

In a time where reliance in connectivity is more important than ever before, fibre connectivity providers are in a fortunate position.

When it comes to the much-discussed digital future, the telecoms industry has always been ahead of the curve, pre-empting the importance of being able to wholly rely on underlying connectivity from the get-go, looking at solutions that ensured business continuity, enabling remote working and providing the ability to flex services as required.

Spiceworks Ziff Davis uncovered some interesting findings earlier this year with 76% of businesses planning on long-term IT changes and over 80% of businesses surveyed expect IT budgets to grow or stay steady over the next 12 months.

What does this mean for connectivity providers?

Quite simply, it means that now – more than ever before – your customers are looking to future-proof their IT and technology.

Connectivity has always been crucial to businesses, but as more companies embrace a digital approach to working it has become apparent that investing in IT infrastructure is of upmost importance.

This opens up opportunities for Service Providers to offer higher bandwidth, secure, reliable connectivity options, like 10Gbps Ethernet. High capacity solutions, like this, enable growing businesses to provide better connectivity to their corporate networks ensuring optimum availability and access to company data, shared services and even overlaying connectivity solutions, like cloud solutions. By making this access seamless employees can work efficiently and effectively remotely.

The importance of staying connected

Ensuring connectivity is always and on, and above all – secure, is critical for any business, regardless of industry.

Just last year, the World Health Organisation reported that cyber attacks had increased five-fold. A terrifying statistic, particularly for businesses that deal with vast amounts of personal or mission-critical data.

It’s imperative that the connectivity options available offer the highest levels of security alongside in-built business continuity options. This is where high capacity Ethernet comes in thanks to its MPLS architecture. Multiprotocol Label Switching means routes can be automatically determined and re-routed instantly should a problem on the network occur.

Renowned for providing reliable connectivity to facilitate layer three and four services, our 10Gbps Ethernet service provides the simplicity of a private, secure connection alongside in-built business continuity. We even offer Shadow VLANs for additional resilience should it be required.

High flying, high capacity

For many businesses, the need to increase their capacity directly aligns with their digital transformation goals. To power their systems and programmes to the best of their abilities, the right infrastructure must be in place.

We also must consider the future advances in technology; 5G, IoT, IIoT, Artificial Intelligence and more. These exciting innovations in the tech space will, inevitably, require high capacity backhaul in order to support their applications.

And of course, it’s crucial to remember that for those businesses still growing, having underlying connectivity that offers the ability to scale is crucial.

All of the above lends perfectly to the conclusion that high capacity connectivity is not just important, it’s here to stay. To be a considered connectivity provider, it’s imperative that you have options available to your customers to support their future needs. Without adapting your product offering to the fast-changing needs of your customers you risk losing your customers to someone who can. The fruit has never been so low hanging. Now’s the time to reach out and grab it.

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Contributing to the story of Neos Networks

By HR Director, Vicky Bori, Neos Networks

Building on decades of experience in telecoms, SSE Enterprise Telecoms now emerges under a new name: Neos Networks. With this rebrand, we’ve renewed our mission to, in the words of our CEO Colin Sempill, “build a new network for UK businesses that has the specific high capacity, high resilience that they demand” while continuing to win notable contracts and stay relentlessly focused on customer satisfaction.

Going beyond establishing a new external-facing identity – we also looked inwards. We called upon colleagues across our operations to play a part in shaping the values and purpose that drive them and keep them grounded. And as a result, Neos Networks has realised a fresh, dynamic reflection of its identity.

Looking back to move forward

We found the name “Neos Networks” within the pages of our own story. The name means “new network” and still holds a great deal of positive association in the telecoms industry from when it was the company’s trading name in 2003.

We’ve promised customers for over 20 years a quality network to stand the test of time. That combined with Neos Networks’ reputation for being innovative, was a no brainer – we now have a premium UK network and the ambition to keep going.

Making company values personal

As part of the rebrand, we asked employees working from home, in the field and at our Reading, Portsmouth and Perth offices to dig deep and articulate what it means to be part of the Neos Networks story. I see these new company values as a core pillar to the growth of our new company. Through brand development workshops and Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) programs, we included employee perspectives in identifying the six ways of working that guide us;

Ambition
Our ambition is what drives us to seek out new opportunities and continually develop the knowledge, skills and capabilities of the business. We believe in giving everyone the confidence, direction and support to grow and improve.

Simplicity
By making the complex simple, we allow colleagues and customers to focus on the important things. Simplicity is driven by common sense, smarter systems and processes and effective collaboration.

Service
With a relentless focus on the customer, colleague and stakeholder experience, we consistently aim to exceed expectations and challenge the norms of service delivery.

Expertise
Our knowledge and expertise are what set us apart from the competition. We believe that every customer and stakeholder interaction is an opportunity to create confidence and trust in our capabilities.

Teamwork
We are stronger and more effective when we work together towards a common goal. We recognise and embrace everyone’s diverse strengths, are open and collaborative and support one another. We learn from setbacks and celebrate success as one.

Safety
We are passionate about the safety and wellbeing of our people, and the security of information and data. Our culture is about looking after one another and empowering people to challenge in the interests of safety and security.

These principles reflect our aspirations and commitments. They empower how Neos Networks’ colleagues strive to realise their full potential and deliver on the company’s wider goals to grow its network.

Transforming from within

Neos Networks has now evolved into an agile telco with an improved value proposition. So, to welcome colleagues , we’ve established a new onboarding process and retrained our customer-facing staff to ensure the right culture permeates the organisation.

Additionally, we are introducing strategic new software to attract, manage and retain talent within the organisation and give us better visibility of the colleagues that make up our staff. This will also allow us to continue improving learning and development opportunities and help us introduce digital solutions that suit our needs.

Achieving more together

Even with a new brand, a new statement to the market, and a new way to position ourselves, a lot remains the same.

As a provider of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), we’re staying committed to providing superior delivery, outstanding customer experience, commercial innovation and technical excellence. Having already achieved an annual average NPS score of +68, we will continue to deliver on our goal to ensure a superior customer experience that is recognised across UK businesses.

But with a revitalised spirit of collaboration, partnership and integrity, we can achieve more together.

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Drivers of change? The future of the transport sector

By Amelia Streeter-Smith, Transport Account Director 

Ethernet

The transport sector is often an early adopter of more digital, efficient ways of working to improve services and profitability. The restrictions to travel and movement during the last year brought this to an abrupt halt, with digital transformation ambitions stagnating and ‘making do’ prevailing until lockdown measures eased.

However, as businesses look to reduce their overheads and operational costs for the longer term, and employees consider permanently reducing the time and costs of commuting, working from home is likely to be the way forward for many – even with the current easing of restrictions.

During March and April 2021, we conducted industry research to better understand the current state of the transport sector, and to dig a little deeper into how the biggest challenges might be addressed with the right connectivity infrastructure and solutions to support its recovery.

Navigating the challenges

When asked about the biggest challenges facing the transport sector in 2021, project funding came out on top. Closely followed by the implementation of infrastructure upgrades.

This is not surprising as, along with Crossrail, HS2 and the Road Investment Strategy, the Department for Transport has a further 24 projects on the Government Major Projects Portfolio. Some have seen dramatic cost increases from their initial estimates, whereas others have completely stalled, such as the third runway at Heathrow Airport.

We also asked about the top addressable challenges for telecommunications within the transport sector in 2021.  Again, two clear leading challenges emerged: reliable accessibility to multiple sites and reducing costs.

From the results, three core themes stood out as having an impact on transport’s digital transformation:

  1. Funding and cost reduction, both capex and opex. Access to funding has been seriously impacted with the lack of revenue generation from customers across all modes of transport during the pandemic. There is no current understanding of the long-term impact this will have in ensuring the UK’s travel network remains sustainable and modernised.
  2. Multi-site accessibility – prevalent in this sector due to the multiple sites (warehousing, depots, distribution centres etc), where access to central systems and access to those based in the field is critical. Accessibility is especially challenging as organisations are reliant on Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), 4G and 5G networks to maintain connectivity for field-based staff.
  3. Physical implementation of infrastructure upgrades – a particular challenge for rail companies, as critical infrastructure needs to be ‘always on’ even whilst undertaking upgrade works. Keeping existing infrastructure live, whilst new infrastructure is implemented, can increase the cost to upgrade (for a limited time) to ensure continuity of service.

Simplifying and optimising national networks

At Neos Networks, we believe in taking the complexity out of connectivity and simplifying UK networks. We can help navigate a clear pathway through the main challenges for this sector with:

  1. Co-investment of network assets to improve connectivity on the move, as well as flexible cost models to suit any business budget.
  2. Multi-site visibility and accessibility can be better managed with our network management and optimisation services, such as SD-WAN and IP-VPN.
  3. Our fast-growing UK network is ideal for rail companies in need of physical infrastructure upgrades. By the end of 2021, we will have a total of 550 unbundled exchanges on-net, reaching more businesses than ever before. Our new network has been designed to deliver 100Gbps services right across the nation, making our network one the most pervasive in the UK and ideal for transport companies with regional and national routes.

Finally, we understand the importance of network resilience along transport routes. Our network is responsible for critical national infrastructure, such as the work we’re doing for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) through Telent to deploy a resilient Ethernet network directly into 165 of the MCA’s remote radio sites located around the UK coastline, supporting Telent to keep them online 24/7, 365 days a year, and helping to keep the public safe at sea.

 

To find out more about our network reach, download our UK-wide network map, or try out our interactive version by simply entering the postcode of the location you want to connect.

 

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What’s next for business connectivity when broadband is no longer enough?

Director of Wholesale Business Development, Simon Willmott, Neos Networks

EoFFTC and EoFTTP

When it comes to business connectivity, it’s crucial you have a solution in place that supports the required capacity needs of today and that it can scale to suit the demands of tomorrow, all while being robust, secure and resilient.

More and more businesses are looking to dedicated connectivity options that ensure their services are always-on and to eliminate the risk of downtime. Just recently connectivity partner, Beaming, conducted a survey in conjunction with research company Opinium, which determined that internet downtime cost UK businesses upwards of £12.3 billion in lost productivity, clocking up 149 million lost business hours!

Historically SMEs with demand for lower bandwidth connectivity would opt for broadband services, but this comes at a cost, for example; sharing internet access with surrounding buildings, and relying on lengthy fix times should there be issues with the connection. In a world when connectivity is more important than ever many are starting to question if it is worth the risk.

Yet there is still much uncertainty for those looking to upgrade their connectivity service as to which option is best suited for their business. With options including Broadband over Fibre to the Premise and Broadband over Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTP and FTTC), Ethernet over Fibre to the Premise (EoFTTP) and Ethernet over Fibre the Cabinet (EoFTTC), Ethernet First Mile and even Full Fibre Ethernet to contend with, making an informed decision can be tricky. Further insight in to what is available to businesses looking for sub-10Gbps bandwidths is necessary.

What is Broadband over FTTP and FTTC?

A fibre optic broadband option, FTTP and FTTC are commonly known in both the business and residential space. It is well suited to start-ups looking to establish themselves as a player in a market and for smaller businesses that don’t have the need for higher capacities and faster speeds nor have concerns around sharing service bandwidth or any major data security challenges to overcome.

Generally offered in bandwidths up to 30Mbps, fibre broadband provides connectivity over a mix of fibre and copper (FTTC) and pure fibre (FTTP) dependant on location. It typically has longer SLA and fix times compared to their Ethernet counterparts, often as long as the next working day (and usually excluding weekends and bank holidays) – in fact, often fibre broadband comes with no SLA at all.

What is Ethernet First Mile?

While Ethernet First Mile (EFM) has been around for some time, there is still a lot of uncertainty around when this service should be considered. Seen as a low-cost alternative to low capacity Full Fibre Ethernet, EFM provides uncontended bandwidth in capacities up to 20Mbps. It uses purely bonded copper and tends to cover vast distances hence the lower bandwidth availability.

Often known as the entry level service into Ethernet connectivity, it guarantees better SLAs and more robust connectivity options than FTTC and FTTP broadband, but with only low bandwidth options available it’s often overlooked.

What is Ethernet over FTTP and FTTC?

Collectively known as EoFTTx, this service is well placed to fill the niche for those looking to upgrade to a full fibre Ethernet solution but who aren’t quite ready for the financial commitment. It enables smaller businesses still establishing themselves and multi-site organisations where some of their holdings have minimal on-site employees, to take advantage of dedicated Ethernet connectivity – but at a fraction of the cost and at capacities better suited to their business.

As with Broadband FTTP and FTTC, EoFTTx is delivered over either a mixture of fibre and copper (EoFTTC) and pure fibre (EoFTTP), however the range of capacities available are substantially higher, with sub-100Mbps services readily available for EoFTTC and sub-1Gbps services available for EoFTTP, all with agreed SLA fix times of just seven hours.

Our recently launched EoFTTx services are available in over 650,000 UK business postcodes and counting, delivered from just shy of 1,150 exchanges across the nation. Learn more about our Ethernet over FTTx services here.

What is Full Fibre Ethernet?

Full Fibre Ethernet connectivity has been around for some time. In fact, the service was originally launched in the UK by Neos Networks back in 2001. Originally available in capacities ranging from 10Mbps up to 1Gbps, more recently we have launched 10Gbps Fibre Ethernet options in more than 170 exchanges across the UK.

Known for providing a synchronous, high bandwidth service, Ethernet Fibre is best suited to well-established businesses with a strong reliance on shorter SLA fix times and with a need for higher capacities and a faster network service.

We’re proud to have one of the largest business Ethernet networks in the UK, spanning 20,000+km, 90 commercial data centres and over 350 PoPs. In addition, our national footprint is on-track to connect over 550 on-net exchanges by the end of 2021.

With so many connectivity options available it can be hard to find the solution best suited for your business. At Neos Networks, we’re proud to offer a range of connectivity options to suit all business types, with both our Ethernet over FTTx and Fibre Ethernet services available to quote and order immediately via our online price comparison engine, LIVEQUOTE. Take the first step in supporting your digital future by requesting access to our pricing portal today.

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Unleashing Scotland’s digital potential

By Sarah Mills, Managing Director for Wholesale and Smart Infrastructure, Neos Networks

Good connectivity is more than just a ‘nice to have’. It can boost business opportunities, create new jobs, and has the power to uplift entire communities.

It’s why initiatives like the Shared Rural Network (SRN), Scottish 4G Infill (S4GI), Scottish Futures Trust Strategic Data Centre analysis, and Scotland 5G have been established; to bring mobile broadband to rural communities and digitise Scotland. Arguably, it’s the part of the UK that needs rural community connectivity the most, and with S4GI already in deployment and the SRN first build phase planned to start in 2022, a boost to rural business turnover of nearly £200m has been forecast.

The benefits of improving connectivity for any area are clear, from making jobs safer and easier by enabling automation, to boosting productivity and raising the chances of investment in under serviced areas. But in Scotland, where as many as 45% of rural small-medium enterprises and a third of those in more metropolitan areas report a poor or variable broadband service, improvements to digital infrastructure are likely to be most appreciated.

Neos Networks has been supporting Scottish infrastructure projects, from Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) and local government, to energy and utilities for many years. The government also recognises the importance of this, having matched investment of £500m from Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to produce a total fund of £1bn to help Scotland reach its full potential.

We work with businesses and local authorities to enhance operational efficiencies in the quest to address climate change, deliver the digital estates required to develop smart cities, maintain license obligations with OFCOM and underpin CNI to keep the country up and running.

The story so far

Neos Networks will have unbundled 550 exchanges across the UK by the end of 2021, greatly expanding our network and better connecting organisations across the country. In Scotland, Neos Networks already runs connectivity into 11 data centres and has 50+ Points of Presence (PoPs). We’ve unbundled 26 exchanges across the region, with this number set to almost double upon the completion of our exchange project.

Our ongoing network expansion is not only helping enable our customers to utilise high capacity fibre services, but will also facilitate use cases such as IoT for manufacturing, as well as the rise of autonomous vehicles. Our infrastructure is also supporting one of the most powerful data centres in Scotland (and by extension the wider UK) to ensure it is no longer limited by geographical constraints. This provides businesses with greater access to ultra-fast connections and empowers MNOs to roll out connectivity services on a more expansive network.

One example of our investment in Scottish infrastructure is with Seagreen Wind Energy. Seagreen is an offshore wind farm 27km from the Angus coastline and Scotland’s largest generator of wind power, and required robust and resilient connectivity between its operations centre in Montrose and sub-station at Tealing. Neos Networks was able to install a comprehensive new network to maximise operational efficiency. This helped nudge the UK ever-closer to meeting its net zero targets. On completion, the development will be able to generate enough renewable energy to sustainably power 40% of all Scottish homes.

Beyond major enterprise, Neos Networks also partnered with Aberdeenshire and Perth & Kinross councils to deliver gigabit-capable connectivity to public sector sites, directly facilitating digital transformation by making full fibre connectivity possible, and enabling future smart city plans to take flight. The completion of these programmes will unleash potential for years to come.

Looking ahead

Boasting some of the largest connectivity hubs in the UK and uniquely positioned between the US and mainland Europe, Scotland is facing opportunity unlike any other country. In particular, running large content providers’ data through subsea cable networks.

FAMGA organisations and other hyperscalers need to traverse data from country to country, and transatlantic crossings into Europe have traditionally connected into Ireland. However, with Britain having now left the European Union and Scotland benefitting from an extensive western seaboard, the country is situated favourably, should these global behemoths identify advantages to connecting into sovereign nations.

Meanwhile, in the north of Scotland, a project to build the world’s first data centre powered solely by tidal energy is under way. Conscious of maintaining a carbon neutral footprint, this is expected to be an attractive prospect for hyperscalers, as huge global enterprises seek to find increasingly innovative ways of operating more responsibly. Together, the projects showcase how sustainability and connectivity can go hand in hand.

The future looks bright

Scotland stands to unlock tremendous potential by improving regional connectivity. There are endless benefits to this for businesses and end users alike, and advancing its digital economy will be all the more straightforward with the right partner. With a strong footprint and regional heritage, Neos Networks is well equipped to help Scotland realise its digital potential, and we will continue taking proactive steps to ensure the opportunity is fulfilled.

Neos Networks is engaged with Scotland 5G and Scottish Futures Trust with committed interest in supporting their great initiatives on 5G networks for major business and industry installations around Scotland and to support subsea cable landing station connectivity into the country. It’s expected that these initiatives will bring economic growth, increase employment and connectivity, delivered better by Neos Networks, to Scotland.

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SSE Enterprise Telecoms is now Neos Networks: a new network for the UK

A new name in telecoms built on decades of experience

By Colin Sempill, CEO, Neos Networks

Change has been the one constant for us all lately, both in the ways in which we work and how we do business. We’d embarked on a major business transformation journey even before the pandemic took grip. Early in 2019, Infracapital acquired 50% of our business to create a partnership with the SSE Group. Long-term, sustained investment in the UK’s telecoms infrastructure was needed then, and it’s needed even more so today, in order to meet the growing demand for high capacity, resilient and ultrafast connectivity.

For me, Infracapital’s investment recognised the success we had achieved to date in building out a great network, winning notable contracts and being relentlessly focused on customer satisfaction. Since then, their investment has enabled us to extend our full fibre network out at an even faster pace.

Now in 2021, we find ourselves with a unique opportunity to provide high capacity fibre connectivity across the UK as a premier B2B partner focused on delivering the UK’s digital future.  As a result, the next part of our transformation journey is underway with a rebrand that will give us a clearer, more recognisable and relevant long-term identity in the telecoms market – independent from both of our parent companies.

Something old, something new

When we started the process of choosing a new brand name, we were looking for something that represented our heritage as well as the new network we are building in the UK.

You may remember that SSE bought Neos Networks back in 2002. Whilst we were doing our brand research, we discovered that not only was the name still relevant and recognised in telecoms, a great deal of positive association was still held with it amongst our customers, even after all these years.

Neos Networks, after all, was the first company to launch national Ethernet services in the UK, which established it as a dynamic and innovative organisation as well a challenger in the market. We felt that this story wasn’t finished, and we could build our future on this heritage of challenge and innovation.

We’re passionate in our belief that the market needs a new network alternative to the large existing providers, to scale up the high bandwidth, high resilience services needed across the UK. That’s why we’ve built our exchange network at such high capacities, so that we can offer Optical Wavelength services of up to 100Gbps and Ethernet services of up to 10Gbps, thereby futureproofing UK business networks as technologies such as 5G, IIoT and 4IR come to life.

The result is that Neos Networks, literally meaning ‘new network’, is our new name, built from a business with decades of experience in delivering connectivity solutions around the UK.

A new network for the UK

We’re excited to have one of the fastest growing networks in the UK and will be continuing to invest heavily in expanding it throughout 2021. By the end of this year, over 550 exchanges will be on-net and we will have increased our network reach from 20,000+km to 30,000+km with access to over 680,000 UK postcodes.

Our metro networks expansion programme is also well underway with regional networks for Aberdeenshire and Perth in delivery, as well investments in more cities to be announced soon.

Class-leading customer care

Whilst our network is expanding, what hasn’t changed is the trustworthy reputation of our business; we’re still dedicated to providing outstanding customer experiences characterised by clarity, integrity and service efficiency.

As Neos Networks, our customers can be assured they’re dealing with the same people, the same teams and the same expert delivery approach they’ve come to rely upon.

We understand the importance of clear communications. In fact, our commitments-based management culture ensures we keep our customers up-to-date every step of the way with regular contact and clear timescales. We know this works, because our Net Promoter Score (NPS) is consistently class-leading. We were proud to have achieved an annual average +68 NPS in 2020 on orders delivered.

However, our real target is always to use our customers’ feedback to ensure we’re delivering the best customer service and experience. That’s why NPS is more than just a score to us, the customer insight we gather really does shape the way we work.

Connectivity reimagined

Connectivity can be complex, but it doesn’t have to be. At the heart of our new brand is to simplify how connectivity works in the UK and find ways to make connectivity easier for businesses.

As a network operator, we are an established one-stop-shop for service providers across the UK. Our simple and user-friendly quoting and ordering tool, LIVEQUOTE, makes purchasing connectivity a really simple process. We also help the public and private sectors with simplifying and balancing bandwidth, reliability and cost challenges to achieve their digital ambitions or smart city goals.

We’d love to hear if we can help you on your connectivity journey. In the meantime, if you’d like to know more about who we are and what we do, watch this video or download our Introducing Neos Networks infographic.

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Digital Transformation in the Public Sector

By Joanne Green, Sales Director for Public Sector and Transport

The pandemic has disrupted the way we live in many unexpected ways. It has also become a catalyst for developing a more digitally accessible public sector, as sub-sectors adapt to a new environment and implement innovative ways of working.

Even before COVID-19, the UK government had plans to roll out full fibre by 2025. But with video conferencing, online learning and virtual medical consultations becoming the norm, the need for gigabit-capable coverage across the UK has become even more critical. In December 2020, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) set out the next steps in its £5 billion strategy that promises to create jobs, bolster productivity and provide remote working support.

Of course, transformation is to be welcomed, as services improve and become fit for the digital age. However, public sector IT leaders must not underestimate the challenge of widespread transformation, and what it will demand from existing networks and connectivity infrastructure.

Public sector initiatives now at work

The public sector’s digital infrastructure saw dramatic changes in Spring 2020, when sub-sectors from central government to emergency services, adapted their operations to virtually bring their indispensable services into people’s homes.

One such example is the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme rolled out by the Government in order to cover 9.6 million furloughed jobs across the nation. The channel was designed, built and launched in less than five weeks and helped employers calculate their claim, identify employees they could put on furlough, understand next steps and more.

Of course, the most notable example of a public service under immense pressure during this time is the NHS. To avoid hospitals being overwhelmed, doctors established “virtual wards” where patients with COVID-19 are managed in the safety of their own homes and monitoring their own oxygen levels. This saved Watford, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 300 bed days in just three weeks.

Initiatives like this have made the public service experience more efficient, making the case that they must continue to evolve well beyond the pandemic. But to keep the pace of change going, more robust digital infrastructure is required.

Three things public sector IT leaders should be considering

While the opportunities for digital transformation advance, IT leaders know that implementing these changes is rarely straightforward and requires significant expertise and support. Public sector bodies must review their current network infrastructure set-up, taking three points of pressure into consideration; bandwidth, reliability and cost.

Greater bandwidth may support growing capacity demands but bandwidth is only one element.

Reliability will ensure uniform experience for citizens across multiple sectors. However, in order to offer this, network design, diverse connections, building entry points, fibre routing, switchover times and single point of failure analysis are more imperative than ever.

The final component in putting the right connectivity infrastructure in place is managing the strain of balancing costs. With fibre technology now advancing significantly and competition increasing, better connectivity doesn’t have to be expensive.

Balancing these pressure points depends on working with a network partner that can offer economies of scale and match the rapidly changing market dynamics.

Read our latest eBook to learn more about how the public sector is transforming and discover how Neos Networks can help in making these large-scale digital changes.

“With Neos Networks, we have complete control over the technologies that we roll out over the infrastructure, which means that when it comes to furthering the capabilities of our research and education community – the sky really is the limit.”

– Jeremy Sharp, Head of Strategic Technologies, Jisc

“We see Neos as a key strategic partner who can help our remit around enhancing Oxfordshire’s digital infrastructure foundations now, and well into the future.”

– Craig Bower, Oxfordshire County Council, Digital Connectivity Programme Director

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Why digital infrastructure is critical in the burgeoning demand for renewable energy

Now seemingly ubiquitous across all industries, the term ‘net zero’ has been front and centre for business leaders and non-commercial entities since the UK government committed to cease Britain’s contribution to global warming by 2050.

It was a move that positioned the country as a leading economy in legislation for the delivery of net zero emissions, improving upon the previous target of an 80% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels. The policy came with the additional objectives to grow the value of low carbon exports to £170bn and have two million employed in ‘green collar’ roles by 2030.

But 18 months later and under new leadership, the government has moved the needle once again. While the 2050 target remains, a new 2030 interim objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 68% compared to 1990 levels, was introduced in December 2020.

The initiative came with a ten point plan that promised to mobilise government investment totalling £12bn, while generating £42bn in private investment; a Green Industrial Revolution in what the Prime Minister suggests will position the UK as the global leader in green finance and technology.

A significant portion of the plan focuses around energy generation, with points on nuclear power proliferation and growth in low carbon hydrogen as a source of heat and fuel. The document leads with the advancements of offshore wind facilities, however. It’s here that the majority of private investment is expected to be apportioned, and the government has committed to enabling delivery of content in 60% of offshore wind projects in the UK. It’s believed that power generated by offshore turbines could quadruple to 40GW by 2030, representing around 40% of the nation’s electricity generation capacity as of today.

It’s a fearsome task ahead, but one which is rapidly drawing commitments from the private sector. The most recent crown estate auction has landed the state an income of £9bn over the coming decade, with the likes of BP and RWE bidding huge sums for the rights to build and operate windfarms around the British Isles. Meanwhile, other organisations traditionally associated with fossil fuels, such as Total, have been making the transition into renewables by way of acquisition.

With the news that electricity generated from renewables, wind and solar accounted for approximately 66% of the UK’s generated power in 2020, it comes as no surprise that several oil and gas giants have been seeking methods of cutting their losses. In a little over a decade, the proportion of electricity generated by fossil fuels has halved from 82% to 41%, while the use of coal has plummeted from 40% in 2012 to less than 5% in 2020.

As far as the government and society is concerned, this is fantastic progress. But in the rush to adopt renewable energy, is there a level of risk surrounding its reliability? It has been reported that the intermittence of renewable energy solutions does propagate increased grid instability. And this can have commercial ramifications for energy firms, as demonstrated by fines totalling more than £10m administered by Ofgem in 2019, after lightning strikes left over a million customers without power.

As the integrated energy company becomes a more widespread phenomena, business leaders will want assurances from experts in the field that their investments are sound and unlikely to create more financial headaches, especially after the devastating losses experienced by fossil fuel companies around the globe.

Partnering with those who have substantial experience working in the field will inevitably help to build resilient infrastructure in this regard. And that will be required from the ground (or seabed) up.

One element of the overall ecosystem business leaders would be remiss to overlook is the impact connectivity and a robust digital infrastructure can offer. Most within the industry will already appreciate the extent to which CNI-grade connectivity will be required to underpin the DNO-DSO transition, but a secure and reliable network is truly essential in the smooth running and maintained provision of energy, especially when it comes to renewables.

In order to improve efficiency, reduce costs and enhance health and safety measures, investment in digital infrastructure is a must. Windfarm operators can rely on fibre to make adjustments to turbine performance in real time, responding to the demands of the grid, and without the need for engineers to leave the operations centre.

This transference of data is crucial in preventing outages and can reduce the extent of turbine damage, should a mechanical issue be identified. It’s also possible to hook up high definition CCTV cameras to turbines to provide engineers with the means to carry out initial inspections, thus reducing the number of visits required to ensure operational optimisation. In fact, the next generation of turbine inspection, and even repair, is in the use of drones and robots which would rely on wireless internet connectivity, perhaps delivered via private 5G networks.

Aside from the provision of connectivity, fibre can also be used to monitor the condition of subsea power cables connecting windfarms to onshore substations. When integrated within the cables or affixed to the outer casing, fibre can indicate instances of damage or interruption to the transmission of power to and from the turbines, as a result of its temperature and acoustic measuring capabilities.

The possibilities are truly fascinating, but at the same time, increasingly essential. You may be interested in the latest way in which we are helping to deliver against the 2030 and 2050 targets set by the government.

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5G roll-out: A race against time

Do mobile network operators need more support from the government to hit 2027 targets?

The roll-out of 5G in the UK has initiated inordinate levels of attention, both from the press and the general public, resulting in much controversy and even a few conspiracy theories. Much of this has been embroiled in the government’s objective to achieve majority 5G coverage by 2027; a target for which £5bn in funding was initially earmarked, but which has since been stripped back by 75%.

It stands to reason therefore, that the likelihood of meeting this target has come under increasing scrutiny, with a parliamentary inquiry reporting that the telecoms sector has no belief in the aptitude of the government to achieve its digital infrastructure goals.

But failure to implement 5G technology swiftly could prove costly, and this is a fact not lost on the current administration. With nationwide roll-out progressing, it’s believed the mobile industry will contribute £198bn per annum to the economy by 2030, equating to almost 6% of UK GDP.

As such, Secretary of State, Oliver Dowden, at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and his team have devised the 5G Supply Chain Diversification Strategy. With funding to the tune of £250m, the initiative aims to complement legislation introduced to eradicate high risk 5G vendors by facilitating growth and opportunities for new and existing suppliers. It’s built around three core strands…

Supporting incumbent suppliers

With the application of Huawei apparatus in 5G networks now prohibited and mandated to be eradicated from infrastructure by 2027, only Ericsson and Nokia remain as suppliers of mobile access network equipment in the UK. As such, it’s likely they will experience intense pressure to deliver against the relatively tight timescales and targets set by government.

To ease this, DCMS have pledged to offer increased flexibility for suppliers to distribute their operational capabilities across a global supply chain, encouraging them to seek diversity in their range of component providers. It’s hoped this will nurture greater resilience should the market become more turbulent or when demand surges.

It’s also crucial that these businesses sustain their leading-edge capabilities. In this regard, the DCMS has vowed to work collaboratively to ensure research and development is moulded in alignment with both the long-term vision of the government and emerging trends observed in the market. This should help ensure both suppliers remain integral to the application of the latest most desired telecoms innovation.

Attracting new suppliers into the UK market

Meanwhile, attention will also be paid to the generation of greater competition in this space, as well as the attraction of new suppliers to the market.

The DCMS is eager to understand more about the relevance of 2G, 3G and 4G services looking ahead; if and how these technologies will be utilised, and how provision can be optimised. Would it be feasible for those tasked with the rapid delivery of 5G networks to divert their attention away from these legacy technologies? Could other agencies take the reins? Is this an opportunity for new challengers to make their play? It’s been acknowledged that there are barriers to achieving diversification related to the efficient use and allocation of spectrum, and DCMS have vowed to collaborate with Ofcom to address these in the quest to liberate supply chain options.

And in a similar vein, the strategy has assured the market that it will encourage the integration of new suppliers into the networks of operators, by reviewing existing regulation around requirements for resilience and performance, that have proven inhibitory in the past. Furthermore, it’s suggested that the act of onboarding new suppliers could become incentivised in order to aid mobile network operators with the associated costs of doing so.

Accelerating open-interface solutions and deployment

Supporting and nurturing commercial organisations to drive 5G roll-out is important, but equally crucial is the research and development required to fully understand, optimise and use it to its full potential as part of a wider ecosystem of connectivity and telecoms technologies.

As such, the DCMS proposes further investigation into interoperable technologies, accelerating research in this field to encompass a substantial Open RAN (Radio Access Network) trial. Open RAN represents an alternative method of building telecoms networks, allowing for greater interoperability of radio equipment between vendors, and provide network operators with greater choice and flexibility. DCMS will facilitate solution-mapping between operators and suppliers, and provide them with the means to evaluate the security and technical performance of equipment, with the establishment of a National Telecoms Lab.

From a regulatory standpoint, the strategy sets out to provide the UK with a more influential voice in the setting of standards, aiming to ensure diversification and market growth are supported by the governance agreed. It will also assess the ways in which regulatory requirements can be addressed and implemented in such a way that promotes a supply chain that is both diverse and competitive.

Ensuring the UK is at the forefront of 5G

Setting out a strategy is one thing. But getting it off the ground is another, and a task of this magnitude is not one to be taken lightly. But in a little over a month, the DCMS revealed that nine projects would benefit from investment worth more than £28m in conjunction with the UK government’s 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme.

The projects were selected as a consequence of the 5G Create competition, and should help demonstrate the ways in which British industry can thrive using modern technology. Open RAN is set to feature in the majority of these experiments, which should come as no surprise based on the objectives of the strategy described previously.

Many of the ventures focus on the development of consumer experiences, such as those based at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes and the Eden Project in Cornwall. But others will demonstrate the power of 5G to various industries, such as those based in Felixstowe and Bristol, which is hoped will deliver more productive, efficient and dynamic operations in port logistics. It’s with these that the more critical benefits of 5G are likely to be realised.

Couple this with the government’s hasty review of the Electronic Communications Code, discussed here in Computer Weekly, and all signs suggest the present administration are doing as much as possible to streamline the roll-out of future telecoms technologies. In fact, the article’s author, Joe O’Halloran, sums up the status quo rather aptly: ‘Despite the brickbats thrown at the current UK government for its lack of responsiveness and proactivity in many of its programmes, the pace of its comms infrastructure buildout cannot be held to much reproach’.

There is no doubt in the presence of appetite for 5G. Will the UK hit the government-set targets? That remains to be seen. While financial resources have taken a hit, support does appear to be generous in terms of keeping 5G roll-out front and centre. One thing is for certain; the two-way flow of communication between the government and industry is essential for all to pull in the same direction. Through continued collaboration and shared expertise, the UK can at least accomplish its goal of becoming the world leader in 5G, even if this nation falls short of its targets.

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Four reasons your business needs IP-VPN

IP-VPN

As modern business technology and connectivity evolves, managed WAN has become a vital component in every IT leader’s armoury. But assembling a business case for connectivity solutions like IP-VPN or SD-WAN can be complex. IT leaders must find a solution that not only aligns with their own priorities but also with the wider priorities of the business.

As with all technology requirements, a good business case needs to clearly demonstrate the business benefits of implementing a new solution. When it comes to WAN technologies like IP-VPN, there are four key points you should be considering:

1. Connectivity complexity

There is no one-size-fits-all model when it comes to IP-VPN. That being said, there are common business challenges where IP-VPN is clearly the right solution.

For example, businesses that work across multiple sites in urban and rural locations with constant large-scale data transference will benefit from the low latency and high network performance IP-VPN offers. Similarly, those that use co-collaboration and management tools need constant high bandwidth guarantees and may struggle without their own VPN – particularly now that businesses have more reliance on video conferencing, file sharing and messaging software than ever before.

In each of these cases, IP-VPN provides close control for IT leaders, offering multiple classes of service, which ensure each application gets the required priority to utilise allocated bandwidth efficiently, providing the optimal quality of service.

2. Security and service

Perhaps the most natural use case for IP-VPN is based around security and data privacy. Businesses that house applications on site need dedicated private networks. Often this is due to the sensitivity and value of the data they work with (such as in healthcare), or because the risk of a breach has huge financial consequences (for example in banking).

IP-VPN has long been the preferred choice for these businesses, with many leading providers offering dedicated lines through which internet traffic is backhauled to a data centre for inspection. It also enables them to have complete network control and bypass the risks that may come with alternative solutions.

3. Meeting high standards

Unresponsive applications, slow transmission and network congestion are all common problems for IT leaders. Particularly as device proliferation continues apace, and their systems are asked to cope with expanding amounts of data, the rise of IoT and to play a key role in ongoing digital transformation efforts.

IP-VPN is known for its quality of service promise, built on low latency and low packet loss, and robust reliability. It will enable IT leaders to improve the basic standards of connectivity for the business, to play a strategic role in the onboarding of ever more advanced technology, and to keep the business operational, whatever challenges are thrown at the network.

4. Network adaptability

The fact is that while IP-VPN is an ideal solution for many businesses, transitioning to SD- WAN is becoming increasingly frequent. The transition between platforms is often motivated by evolving demands or a change in cloud strategy (for example adopting a secure public cloud model).

Sometimes, the move can be held back due to misconceptions about SD-WAN and the complexity involved in switching. However, it remains a viable path over a five or even ten-year period for many businesses.

A key consideration here is the provider. Working with a consultative expert in both IP-VPN and SD-WAN will make any move relatively smooth. At Neos Networks, for example, we provide a managed service for both, allowing us to facilitate a seamless implementation. It also ensures that the provider becomes well attuned to the business and its connectivity requirements, meaning they can easily spot when a growing case for SD-WAN emerges and make the move in time to capitalise on all of the opportunities that enhanced connectivity can bring.

Learn more about how IP-VPN compares to SD-WAN and the benefits of implementation in our new interactive eBook.

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The opportunities and challenges behind creating better connected cities and places

By Joanne Green, Sales Director for Public Sector and Transport

Ethernet

UK local authorities have a clear remit and desire to develop the cities or regions they’re responsible for, including improving environmental, social and economic sustainability. They play a key role in facilitating and sustaining smart ecosystems to better serve the people, communities and businesses that inhabit them, transforming whole areas into ‘smart places’ fit for a digitally-focussed future. Connecting smartphones, charging points, sensors, suitably equipped cars and smart homes can improve energy distribution, decrease traffic congestion and even improve air quality.

Smart cities and places invariably use Internet of Things (IoT) devices to collect data generated by public services, private companies and individuals, then analyse and manage that data for real-time use. Technology innovations such as 5G, machine learning, cloud technology and edge processing can provide the tools required to transform passive assets into smart assets.

Although IoT connections are wireless, the underlying technology and communications infrastructure depends on fixed fibre networks. The powerful data centres needed to receive, process and retransmit data to and from applications and sensors rely on low latency, high-speed connectivity with high redundancy. So while 5G networks will be essential, they will need to be underpinned by a physical fibre network and its supporting infrastructure.

The rise of the smart city

Implementing smart devices and better use of data can improve management by local authorities, making them more efficient and responsive. From simply expanding online services to improve their dialogue with citizens, councils could build up to holding public consultations using mobile apps. For example, offering transparent government data and interactive maps can help smart cities create strong relationships with their residents. Analysing data from these services, as well as from smart devices and sensors, can give councils insights into priority issues to make better, more responsive decisions with greater transparency.

Connected transport systems can also deliver smarter mobility and ease of movement. This could include traffic lights that talk with sensors and cars to change their timing in response to real-time traffic, reducing road congestion. Or connected cars (private or ride-sharing) might guide drivers to the closest parking meters or charging docks, while connected bike-sharing programmes could provide data to improve cycle routes.

Transforming city operations

Better connected services and evidence-based decisions can improve health, wellbeing and quality of life for citizens and enhance public safety. Anonymised hyper-localised data could allow police to analyse crime and incident trends for safer streets and faster response times. And real-time monitoring could allow local authorities to address air and water pollution, fire detection, as well as improved energy efficiency in public buildings.

The efficiencies and greater control delivered by improved gathering and analysis of data, combined with IoT connectivity, could offer a real boost to regional development and growth, as well as deliver sustainability gains. However, there are a number of challenges with creating smart cities and places to overcome first.

The challenges of supplying connectivity

The challenges are different for each community, which means that local authorities are uniquely placed to drive this process and build on existing assets. This calls for close collaboration between local authorities, sources of public funding, and third-party connectivity experts and providers.

The most immediate challenge is that most regions, especially rural areas, don’t have the fibre infrastructure to cope with the huge volume of data needed – and expansion plans are hampered by budgetary issues. A more innovative approach to funding, and to forming partnerships, can address this.

Innovative partnerships

Neos Networks’ ongoing work with Aberdenshire Council, Aberdeen City Council and NHS Grampian is just one example of a new approach to address these concerns. Our most recent fibre connectivity project is set to connect 190 public sector sites with a 275 km network, improving public services, boosting economic activity and improving local quality of life. The £10.5 million Public Sector budget was raised as part of a specific financial agreement to create sustainable digital infrastructure for the future of the region, between the UK and Scottish Governments, Aberdeenshire Council and other regional partners. However, this budget would have been insufficient to complete the build on its own, so Neos Networks contributed to affordability by combining our existing assets and our own investment, driven by a long term view of the future commercialisation opportunity.

Another challenge is the public’s concern around data security, both cybersecurity and the retention and use of personal data by the public and private sector. Sharing information and combining it with contextual data for real-time analysis will be key in developing smart places. All smart partners will need to collaborate to raise awareness of the benefits of such connectivity, and to allay public fears over privacy concerns. Transparent commitments, even legislation, may be needed to build trust, including full disclosure about the data used, when and why and a guarantee of cybersecurity to protect personal data.

A holistic approach should also consider how people are likely to use this new connectivity for both living and working, to maximise return on investment for local authorities. This includes engaging everyone, not only the tech-savvy, by providing clear, easy-to-use, user-centric tools and apps with simple data dashboards and interactive infographics.

Working together for a smarter future

Connectivity and communications infrastructure will be at the heart of any project to create a better-connected city or place. While commercial 5G services are essential, the underlying core networks will need high-capacity fibre connectivity to ensure fast, reliable, secure services. Local authorities will need trusted telco partners to deliver this connectivity, with experience in operations and security and data centre services to enable their smart goals.

To find out more about how we enable the connectivity that lies behind (and underneath) connected cities and places, download our Connected Cities eBook.

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