LONDON & STIRLING – The city of Stirling is set to take a giant leap into the future this new year after leading pure fibre infrastructure provider, CityFibre, announced it is to become Scotland’s fourth Gigabit City.
Working in partnership with leading specialist in next generation managed networks MLL Telecoms, and Stirling Council, CityFibre will commence construction in June 2017, deploying the first phase of this state-of-the-art new fibre infrastructure. The initial development phase is expected to take 14 months, delivering 20km of infrastructure spanning from Bannockburn to the Stirling Agricultural Centre.
The copper-free, ultra-fast network will connect over 30 Stirling Council sites including schools, libraries, offices and community facilities, transforming services and boosting productivity across all areas of council operations. It will also provide a future-proof platform for further digital developments, such as connecting mobile masts and delivering safer city infrastructure such as smart CCTV and street-lighting.
As with all CityFibre’s Gigabit City projects, the new network will be extended over time to offer the majority of Stirling’s 3,000 businesses affordable access to gigabit speed services. These ultra-fast services are vastly superior to those endured by many businesses throughout the country and will provide them with a huge competitive advantage.
Stirling Council Leader Johanna Boyd welcomed the announcement: “The people of Stirling know they live in a great city – and I am delighted that they’ll now be able to say they live in a ‘Gigabit City.’
“This is excellent news for those who live, work and study here. This leap forward for our digital connectivity will make our existing businesses more competitive, encourage new businesses to the city centre, and enable us to deliver education and skills programmes, which not only ensure our students are the most digitally skilled in Scotland, but also provide people of all circumstances and skill levels with opportunities for employment. It will also allow those accessing council services to do so faster.
“Following a competitive tender process we have worked closely with MLL Telecom Ltd and CityFibre to ensure that Stirling’s needs are fully met through this project, not just today but well into the future. Our City Deal success has truly unlocked Stirling’s digital potential. We’ve been clear that we want Stirling to be one of the most digitally connected cities in Europe, and this project is an essential step in helping us realise that ambition.”
James McClafferty, CityFibre’s Head of Regional Development in Scotland, added: “By providing unlimited bandwidth and true fibre connectivity, CityFibre’s privately funded investment in Stirling will benefit all areas of the community. As the first organisation to be connected, Stirling Council will, for example, explore the e-learning potential offered by Gigabit connectivity in schools and libraries, whilst improving the use of digital and web-based tools and services for both staff and customers.
“What’s more, as the project progresses we expect Stirling to benefit economically as the city becomes more competitive in terms of attracting new businesses, supporting growth amongst existing firms and creating jobs. We are already seeing this trend emerge in our Gigabit City projects across the UK and in others throughout the world.”
Ross Duke, MLL Telecom’s Technology Director said, “In the connected world, the greatest advantage we have is reaching out and communicating instantly with each other. The Gigabit City network will transform the way in which Stirling’s communities, organisations and businesses can collaborate and work together. Our role will be to make sure this happens seamlessly and securely, so that we can deliver the best communication experience to all users”.
CityFibre is currently leading Gigabit City projects in 40 other cities across the UK including those already underway in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.