industryopinion
An Internet for all ages, people and applications
William Harris, Head of Public Sector and Utilities at Neos Networks details some of the initiatives across the country that are helping to deliver the best possible Internet connectivity for every stage of lifelong learning.
W
hile textbooks and expert research papers of course remain important, there’s little doubt that the Internet is now the most important tool in the world for both discovering,
documenting and sharing knowledge. In those early learning years, simple access to the Internet is key. However, higher up in the education ladder, higher speeds, bandwidth and data capacity are required in order to truly embrace learning. The importance of the Internet in education today cannot be
overstated, whether we are talking about the highest levels of doctorate research within universities, or the interactive teaching aids helping under-fives develop their understanding of words, numbers, and the world around them. But not all Internet access is created equally. The digital divide in Internet terms, separates those with easy
access to devices and high-speed broadband connectivity, from those struggling with outdated or limited equipment, poor connectivity, and an over-reliance on community resources. As far as the education sector is concerned, limitations in home Internet availability is perhaps most keenly felt among school age children. So, while the focus on smart city projects often looks at futuristic
automated urban traffic and transport planning issues, the biggest short-term impact any smart city project can potentially deliver is perhaps more likely to be experienced in the smart city’s schools, colleges and community facilities. Take Aberdeen as an example, a city council that is forging ahead
with the digitisation of its city wide network as part of a wider scheme across Aberdeenshire. High quality Internet access begins with the underlying infrastructure. For the Aberdeen project, the scheme’s sponsors have commissioned some 275km of Dark Fibre, covering five major locations across Aberdeenshire. Announced less than two years ago, the project is already delivering
fibre connectivity and digital services to more than 192 public sector sites across the region, including schools, colleges and libraries. In addition, the network covers an area of some 44,000 homes, which could now access the higher speeds and improved services it can carry. While physical infrastructure is the starting point of any smart
city, in Aberdeen an emphasis was also placed on education. This has included careers presentations in the city’s schools and colleges, as well as work placement opportunities for college students. In addition, several full-time and foundational apprenticeships have been created. This investment helps to highlight career opportunities within the IT sector that might otherwise not have been recognised. And of course, it
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will not only support a transition to economic independence through education it will also help to build a local workforce adept in managing and maintaining the region’s new fibre network. The quality of the connectivity arguably becomes even more
important as we pass beyond the school years and move into higher education and research establishments. In those institutions, the sheer volume of data being produced or accessed - together with the requirement for super-fast cloud-based data processing and analysis and the growing thirst for ultra-high-definition video content - are all combining to drive demand for near limitless network capacity and ever-higher speeds. Alongside the work taking place to network schools in smart cities,
specialist private initiatives are perhaps even more important within the tertiary education sector. The UK’s universities, colleges and major research establishments rely on the Janet network provided by Jisc – a membership organisation delivering shared digital infrastructure and services across higher education, further education, research, and the wider public sector. In the last year, Neos Networks has been working with Jisc on a major
upgrade programme across its regional Janet networks. A great example of this is in the North-West of England, where a new Dark Fibre network will come on-stream later this year delivering ten-fold increases in speed and providing connectivity speeds of up to 100Gbps. Across the region, several large universities in Manchester, Liverpool,
and Lancaster, as well as important facilities such as the Jodrell Bank Observatory, will all be connected to the new network. In addition, the Science & Technology Facilities Council’s laboratory at Daresbury will also be taking advantage of the new network’s capabilities and capacity – STFC is the central UK facility handling the quite staggering amount of data arriving from CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. Jisc’s Janet network connects the UK via a national backbone and
15 regional infrastructures. Neos Networks and Jisc are now working to connect colleges, universities, and research institutions in Northern Ireland into the national backbone. This involves two separate submarine cables directly linking the new Belfast Dark Fibre network into the UK backbone coming ashore in Southport and Glasgow. Of course, the importance of Internet access has been recognised
within the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda. But while the advanced handsets and state of the art laptops and tablets get plenty of attention, the access they can provide is only as good as the network they can connect to – and that’s where Neos Networks comes in.
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