MLL Telecom Win Contract to Extend South Essex Full Fibre Network

Business ISP MLL Telecom, which has already delivered one £4.44m state aid funded Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) contract to build across South Essex (connecting 129 public sector sites), has today confirmed that they’ve won a substantial Dark Fibre network extension project from the Association of South Essex Local Authorities (ASELA).

The new Phase 2 extension contract, which started building in July 2021 and is being supported by £2.5m from the Government’s “Getting Building” fund, aims to expand the initial 130km of fibre optic network infrastructure to over 200km (70km extra), with a further 100 connections being added (this is in addition to the 129 sites mentioned earlier). MLL will be delivering this fibre extension work in conjunction with network builder Nextgenaccess.

The entire network infrastructure is being procured on behalf of ASELA under the Suffolk Cloud Partnership Agreement signed in 2018 between MLL Telecom and Suffolk County Council – the anchor tenant. This is enabling Full Fibre connection to multiple sites located across Basildon, Brentwood, Castle Point, Rochford and Thurrock – and covering council buildings, schools, care homes, GP surgeries and fire stations.

As part of the ongoing fibre network project, MLL Telecom is working closely with the South Essex Authorities to ensure the network investment delivers ultrafast broadband connections and a range of services. These will include Wide Area Network (WAN), voice and data, and high-speed access to the Internet and Cloud.

Shaun Ledgerwood, CEO of MLL Telecom, added:

“We are delighted to have been awarded a further contract by ASELA under our Suffolk Cloud Partnership Agreement. The high-capacity fibre infrastructure engineered by Nextgenaccess together with our portfolio of managed services will ensure ASELA and its local communities have future-proofed access to the full benefits of the digital age.”

Nextgenaccess is licensed under Duct and Pole Access (DPA) / Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA), which means that they intend to utilise existing Openreach infrastructure (underground ducts and overground poles) to run their own fibre. This approach reduces network construction costs, while achieving faster deployment, and minimal disruption compared to conventional road digs.