Introduction
Telent is a trusted supplier of critical national infrastructure. It designs, delivers and supports solutions and services across a wide range of industries and sectors. For the emergency services sector its solutions include managed service offerings, control room systems, private radio, vehicle communications and core network provision.
The challenge
In the summer of 2020, Telent secured a ten-year agreement with The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to design, build and operate a next generation mission critical communications network. The new network was to replace legacy BT infrastructure and connect some 165 remote radio sites around 11,000 miles of UK coastline with a combination of full fibre or microwave technology connectivity.
When complete, the new network will allow HM Coastguard to receive distress calls more efficiently from all maritime users, more easily co-ordinate rescue operations and bring improvements such as increased security and bandwidth, as well as allow the Coastguard team to invest in advanced search and rescue technology dependent on digital connectivity.
Telent appointed Neos Networks as its trusted partner to deploy a resilient Ethernet network to the MCA’s coastline radio stations, situated in remote, rural and often difficult to reach locations with very little supporting infrastructure. Given the nature of the services provided from these locations – The MCA responds to more than 3,000 distress or 999 calls every year – guaranteed digital connectivity 24/7, 365 days a year, was an essential element of the project.
The outcome
Neos Networks is successfully delivering full fibre connectivity to the MCA’s remote radio stations. Overcoming the challenges of often difficult local terrain, each site is now served by fully diverse, separate fibre routes, providing 24/7 resilience, and ensuring that if one fibre link is disrupted, the other can maintain connectivity and protect the vital service being provided.
Replacing legacy copper infrastructure, the new high-capacity circuits connect the remote radio sites back to the agency’s three national data centres, which enable the MCA’s £175m modernisation project to deliver future proofed digital services and communication capabilities that can both improve the vital search and rescue work of HM Coastguard.
“The demands of a 24-hour search and rescue operation means that downtime is never an option. The new network is delivering improvements in performance and enabling new services. Neos Networks has been the perfect partner to ensure that we deliver an efficient, reliable and stable connection to help HM Coastguard save lives and keep the public safe at sea.”
Peter Moir, Managing Director of Network Services at Telent
“Neos Networks is a trusted partner for managing and deploying critical national infrastructure for some of the UK’s most important institutions and services. Our 34,000km national fibre backbone network and ability to deliver advanced digital connectivity to some of the UK’s most hard to reach locations, ensures this critical infrastructure is always operational.”
Sarah Mills, Chief Revenue Officer at Neos Networks
