SSE Telecoms to deliver fibre broadband to universities

SSE Telecoms has been awarded a multimillion-pound contract to deliver an advanced fibre optic broadband network to educational institutions across the UK.

The ten-year, £30 million deal will see the company provide 6,500 km of fibre to more than 30 research and education sites connected to the 'Janet' network infrastructure.

Universities, further education colleges, research councils, adult and community learning providers and specialist colleges are all served by the network.

Consisting of dedicated optical fibre, the backbone of the Janet infrastructure can run at speeds of up to 400Gbps and serves around 18 million users.

Mark Mathieson, managing director of networks at SSE, said the company is aiming to use the contract to "break new ground" within the telecommunications industry.

Janet's head of strategic technologies Jeremy Sharp added: "We are pleased to be working with SSE Telecoms, whose excellent track record in the provision of reliable, state-of-the-art fibre infrastructure will provide [a] solid foundation for years to come."