Business connectivity provider Neos Networks has been chosen to supply a new dark fibre network in Northern Ireland by Jisc, supplier of a digital network and support services for the UK’s tertiary education and research sector.
Designed to support educational and research establishments, the new network aims to provide high-capacity fibre connectivity between Jisc resources and data centres in the UK, Northern Ireland and key partner networks in Dublin.
The Northern Ireland commission comes after Neos delivered a dark fibre network for Jisc across northwest England, which was announced in January 2022. The two contracts form part of an ongoing review and upgrade of the Janet Network, which Neos Networks says will help enhance the capacity, speed and efficiency of its regional centres.
“We are immensely proud of our 20-year relationship with Jisc,” said Sarah Mills, MD of wholesale and smart infrastructure at Neos Networks. “The new network will deliver operational efficiencies for Jisc and enable it to continue to improve the services it offers to its members in the education and research arena.”
The new gigabit-capable dark fibre network benefits from improved resilience due to two separate backup routes to mainland UK via submarine cables to the company’s unbundled exchanges in Glasgow and Southport.
Neos Networks, which was formerly a division of the national energy provider SSE, said the deployment of the new network is already underway as part of the initial seven-year contract.
“We need to continually improve and enhance the connectivity options for the institutions we serve,” added Neil Shewry, deputy director of network delivery at Jisc. “This new network will give us the bandwidth, the capability and the reliability we need to deliver on that goal. This network will provide futureproof connectivity to Jisc’s members and help to meet the increasing demand created by the ongoing shift to the hybrid learning environment.”
