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Sheffield City Council signs Digital Region fibre broadband deal
A five-year deal with fibre broadband provider Digital Region is set to save Sheffield schools more than £500,000.
Under the £1 million five-year deal, more than 65,000 students will be given access to next-generation broadband connectivity, while the local authority is set to enjoy substantial budget savings, reports the Star.
It is believed the broadband agreement will free up a combined total of as much as £545,000 for more than 160 schools in the city.
Jackie Drayton, city council cabinet member for children, young people and families, said the contract will deliver next-generation communications technology to young people across South Yorkshire.
This means they will be able to take advantage of internet services that are not available in many other UK schools, she explained.
"It is vital we give our children the best start in life and learning is such an important part of that," Ms Drayton remarked.
One local educational institution that has already been connected to the Digital Region broadband network is Southey Green School.
Deputy head Dave Dickinson said significant benefits could be seen immediately after it was hooked up to the fibre optic broadband infrastructure.
"Students can access the internet quickly and engage in media-rich work that is far more advanced than our old system could support," he stated.
Described as the first major regional super-fast broadband deployment in the UK, Digital Region aims to boost service provision in South Yorkshire and attract new investment to the area.
Once the rollout is finished, the network will cover Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley and Rotherham, as well as the surrounding towns and villages, serving more than 1.3 million residents, 546,000 homes and 40,000 businesses.
More than £90 million of funding has been provided for the scheme by the European Union, partners and the private sector, while Thales UK was appointed to manage and operate the fibre-based infrastructure.