Aberdeen City Council begins SWAN fibre network rollout

Aberdeen Harbour - Image credit: Duncan C via Flickr

Aberdeen City Council has begun work on installing a city-wide fibre network a year after joining the Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN) in September 2015.

The high-speed network, set up under the Capita IT Enterprise Services-managed SWAN framework, will link 188 council-owned premises across the city.

Over the next year the council will introduce fibre infrastructure to the majority of its buildings to enable it to fulfil its plans to be a digital city.

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More than half of the circuits planned will be delivered using fibre, in conjunction with Capita’s fibre partner, CityFibre Limited.

The improved connectivity will allow the council to increase bandwidth and enhance digital services to schools, leisure centres and other council-owned sites.

Councillor Willie Young, convener of finance, policy and resources at Aberdeen City Council, said: “We have ambitions to become a truly digital city, providing high quality services to local residents and reinforcing the city as an attractive location for business.

“Being part of SWAN has led to a greater level of collaboration and sharing across the public sector - Aberdeen is benefiting from that both functionally and financially.

“In bringing high-speed connectivity to the city centre, we are making a real statement to the global business community in terms of stimulating and attracting new investment into the city.”

Eddie Cronie, managing director of Capita SWAN, said: “The enhancement to the council’s SWAN circuits will provide a fantastic foundation for its ambitious plans and shows that the network has become a crucial part of Scotland’s national IT infrastructure.

“By opting for fibre delivery the council will be able to deliver the capacity it needs now, and increase it when required in the future.”

Aberdeen City Council is one of more than 50 Scottish public sector organisations sharing infrastructure and services under the auspices of SWAN, which is reducing costs and improving connectivity in line with the recommendations of the 2011 McLelland report on strategic management of ICT in the public sector.

More than 4,300 sites and 5,300 circuits have been connected, as well as a core network and operations centre constructed, since the SWAN contract was signed in February 2014.

The network has also received Public Service Network accreditation and has achieved ISO27001, which recognises international information security best practice.