Work begins on £15.1m North Yorks Full Fibre Network

North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) has announced that the build phase of a £15.1 million full fibre network project has begun. The project will see the rollout of high-speed broadband to 370 public sector sites across the county over the next 18 months. These premises will include council buildings, schools, hospitals and other buildings in the health and education sectors.

The commencement of the project follows a successful 2017/18 bid by North Yorkshire County Council, and its high-speed connectivity provider NYnet, to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Local Full Fibre Network’s (LFFN) challenge fund. NYCC has announced that the contract has been awarded to local civil and infrastructure installation firm SCD Group Limited.

The build has begun in Selby and Easingwold and is expected to continue later in the month in Malton and Pickering. Other towns and communities where infrastructure is expected to be installed include Harrogate & Knaresborough, Skipton, Northallerton, Ripon, Richmond, Whitby and Thirsk.

North Yorkshire County Councillor Don Mackenzie stressed the importance of digital connectivity to the success of local economies and communities, especially within the county’s many rural areas.

Mackenzie, the council’s Executive Member for Access, added: “The benefits of this project to public sector organisations in North Yorkshire are significant. This further improvement to our digital infrastructure will help to deliver national strategies such as the NHS long-term plan and the Department for Education’s programme to boost technology in our schools. More widely, it will also provide gigabit opportunities to private sector businesses and local residents throughout the county.”

NYnet CEO Scott Walters, meanwhile, spoke of the excitement at entering this phase of the full fibre network development plan, saying it would “improve speeds and user experience for many public sector bodies in North Yorkshire including schools, GP surgeries, hospitals and libraries.”