10 January 2020

It will run off an infrastructure supplied by City Fibre and MLL will operate a wide area network for voice and data services.

The network will initially be made available to Portsmouth City Council sites and schools with a minimum bandwidth of 1Gbps and access to Microsoft Azure and the Health and Social Care Network. MLL said the arrangement could possibly be extended to neighbouring Gosport Borough Council and Southampton City Council.

"The Solent Network will give us the flexibility and network capacity we need to support our existing and future digital services," said Natasha Edmunds director of corporate services at Portsmouth City Council, said: "A key benefit will be that pupils in Portsmouth schools will be able to access cutting-edge technology and be at the forefront of the latest developments in education. We look forward to working with MLL Telecom as one of the partners in this exciting project.” 

Jeremy Wastie, regional director, MLL Telecom, added: “We are thrilled to have been awarded this call off contract by Portsmouth City Council on the Solent Network framework Enhanced connectivity is so important in helping public sector organisations deliver the right services to citizens and local businesses. This new infrastructure will act as a platform for Portsmouth City Council and surrounding areas for years to come, and we are excited to be contributing our expertise and experience to this project and other opportunities in the region”