Highlands and Islands becomes broadband hotspot
- PATHFINDER NORTH GOES LIVE CONNECTING FIVE LOCAL AUTHORITIES
- GOVERNMENT SERVICES SERVING SOME OF THE MOST REMOTE PARTS OF THE UK GET HIGH-SPEED ACCESS FOR THE FIRST TIME
17 February 2010: The Pathfinder North Partnership and Cable&Wireless Worldwide today announce that the Pathfinder North network, a seven-year, £70million contract - part-funded by the Scottish Government - has gone live. The future-proof next-generation network, run on the Cable&Wireless Worldwide IP Virtual Private Network (VPN), for the first time, connects 801 sites between five Highlands and Islands local authorities, namely Highland, Moray, Argyll and Bute, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands.
The IP VPN, a high-speed Wide Area Network (WAN), will change the way that local authorities communicate, learn and share information. As a result of the Pathfinder North project, these five authorities will move closer to the Digital Britain vision by providing connectivity that enables all schools, libraries and Council office sites to benefit from high-speed broadband.
Pathfinder North will deliver a raft of benefits to the area. For example, with the VPN live, schools can fulfil curriculum commitments to GLOW, the national schools' intranet, allowing teachers to share resources and children to learn in new ways, such as accessing online libraries and video conferencing with exciting subject experts. Residents in the area will also benefit from improved systems to interact with local government online, such as e-payments and online applications.
From today, local government departments will also see further improvements as the roll-out of shared services and centralised networking starts. This will allow them to benefit from shared costs as well as a simplification of IT management and commonality of applications. They will also have access to improved communications tools such as Voice over IP (VOIP) and multimedia conferencing.
Councillor Carolyn Wilson, Chairman of The Highland Council's Resources Committee, said: "The Pathfinder North scheme represents a major investment in rural locations, which depend so heavily on good communications. The provision of high-speed broadband services is great news both for our teams and the people they support, who have access to our community schools, libraries and offices. We are looking forward to using the network to the best of its capability, ensuring that we continue to meet the needs of all the communities we serve."
Jim Marsh, CEO at Cable&Wireless Worldwide comments: "This is a landmark project that will transform the way that remote councils in Scotland work. When physical distance separates you from services or colleagues, a reliable network connection becomes the vital tool to do your job. The local authorities of the Highlands and Islands didn't have that previously, so we're proud to connect them with the people and information that they need. We're delighted to have been a part of such a momentous project as Pathfinder North - Cable&Wireless Worldwide is committed to delivering mission critical communications globally and the Pathfinder North network clearly demonstrates our dedication."
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Contacts
PATHFINDER NORTH
Vicki Nairn
Head of E-Government
+44 (0)1463 702023
THE HIGHLAND COUNCIL
Alison MacNeill
Sen Public Relations Officer
+44 (0)1463 702020
About Pathfinder North
The Pathfinder North project was created to procure, implement and manage the delivery of managed broadband services in five local authority areas across the Highlands and Islands (Argyll and Bute, Highland, Moray, Orkney and Shetland Island Councils). The five local authorities formed a consortium to undertake the procurement. The Highland Council was appointed the Lead Authority for the procurement and implementation of the Pathfinder North programme.
For more information about Pathfinder North, go to http://www.pathfindernorth.co.uk
CABLE&WIRELESS WORLDWIDE
Olivea Nixon
PR Executive
+44 (0)7822 804 975
C&W Press Office
+44 (0)1344 818 888
About Cable&Wireless
Cable and Wireless plc is one of the world's leading international communications companies. It operates through two standalone business units - Cable&Wireless Worldwide and CWI.
The Worldwide business (formerly Europe, Asia & US) specialises in offering high quality communications services such as IP, data, voice and hosting to large enterprise, reseller and carrier customers. It operates globally, with core markets in UK, Asia and EMEA, and provides connectivity in 153 countries.
CWI is an owner and operator of leading regional telecoms businesses. Headquartered in London, it operates businesses through four regional operations the Caribbean, Panama, Macau and Monaco & Islands delivering world class service and efficiency. CWI is a full-service telecommunications provider offering mobile, broadband, and domestic and international fixed line services, as well as enterprise and managed service solutions.
In November 2009, the Cable and Wireless plc Board announced its intention to separate the Cable&Wireless Communications Group and the Cable&Wireless Worldwide Group, reflecting its belief that the businesses had reached a position where they would deliver increased value to shareholders as separately listed companies. Cable&Wireless Worldwide Group is expected to demerge from Cable and Wireless plc at the end of March 2010 subject to shareholder and court approval.
For more information about Cable&Wireless, go to http://www.cw.com
