TNP Win Full Fibre WAN Contract for Service and Support in Trafford

Network services provider TNP (The Networking People) has today secured a key 3-year Wide Area Network (WAN) service delivery and support contract, which should ensure that Trafford becomes one of the first boroughs in Greater Manchester to begin “mainstream use” of the area’s new state aid funded full fibre network.

Last year the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) chose Virgin Media (VM Business) to build their £23.8m Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) project (here), which aimed to connect 1,700 public sector sites across Bury, Bolton, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Salford, Trafford and Wigan. Work on that has since completed.

The next step is for local authorities to contract a service supplier and TNP, which earlier this year also secured the Manchester City Council WAN project, has now successfully won an open tender to support the new full fibre network in Trafford.

Under the deal, all equipment installed to use the dedicated fibre network will be owned by Trafford and managed by TNP. Where it has been installed within designated Trafford locations, the fibre network is for the sole use of the Council, and all the fibres terminate in one of 3 designated Openreach (BT) exchanges within the borough – Altrincham, Sale & Urmston.

Chris Wade, TNP Business Development Director, said:

“The fibre service infrastructure is uncontended and unrestricted. It is essentially private and separate from any other ICT infrastructure. Our job is to bring that fibre into use quickly and cost effectively, transforming a passive fibre infrastructure by adding all the active equipment and service layers to start delivering the high-quality high capacity connectivity that the borough needs.”

Cllr Mike Freeman, Trafford Council, said:

“I am pleased that Trafford Council will be quickly utilising the newly built GM Local Full Fibre Infrastructure to operate network services across the borough. The network will provide a reliable and flexible foundation for delivering digital services to the people and businesses within Trafford.”

The new WAN is seen as a key element in the Council’s delivery of a diverse range of ICT services to local businesses and residents in the borough, as well as for Greater Manchester Police, schools, Trafford CCG, and co-located organisations and partners. TNP will primarily be utilising Trafford’s LFFN infrastructure but also, where appropriate, making use of other carriers to enable continued delivery of services.

TNP will manage and support the service and project manage delivery of the new network and ensure network security. The scope of the contract includes migration from the existing platform over to the new infrastructure. TNP will also help to shape and develop a strategic roadmap for the WAN and network services in line with the Council’s digital strategy.