St Helens Council rolls out £2 million network

St Helens Council is rolling out a new 2 million Local and Metropolitan Area Network (MAN).

The new technology, implemented by NTL Telewest, will help the council provide better access for shared services to more than 2,200 staff.

The installation of a new Nortel IP Telephony system allows those staff to "hotdesk" from any council building or work remotely, which the council claimed will increase productivity and response times.

The MAN will also provide high speed internet connections to businesses and council facilities throughout the community, including 76 existing schools, planned new builds and libraries.

Some residents will also be able to access the MAN through the non-profit organisation AIMES Grid Services, a community service helping with digital inclusion.

Ntl:Telewest announced another public sector contract in July, working with Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to provide a fibre optic network for the shared services in the area.

Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.

Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.