Broadband success for Nottingham tramline

The new Nottingham Express Transit will further benefit local businesses by offering super fast data.

Nottingham City Council has signed a multi-million pound 20-year concession agreement with ITS Technology Group which will see the city’s telecommunications ducting being used to connect local businesses to superfast broadband.

The construction of the NET tram extension, to Clifton South and Toton Lane, has seen the installation of 17km of underground telecommunications infrastructure - with lower installation costs and avoiding any future disruption to car drivers and pedestrians.

Over the period of the agreement, ITS will extend the reach of the fibre network up to 100kms, at no cost to the city council, operating as an ‘Open Access Network’.

Councillor Nick McDonald, Portfolio Holder for Growth and Transport at Nottingham City Council, said: “The council took the opportunity to put this vital infrastructure in place while work was underway on the new tramlines, minimising disruption and costs and allowing more local businesses to be connected to superfast broadband.

“This is an exciting new initiative that will have important long-term benefits for the city’s business community and will maintain Nottingham’s position as the best connected city in the UK. Businesses need to keep pace with the rapid developments in internet technology, especially our fast-growing digital media and biotech sectors which are so important for Nottingham’s economic future. This concession agreement does not cost the council – in fact we will generate income over the years as the cable network is expanded.”

Roy Shelton, CEO of ITS Technology Group, said: “We are delighted to be part of this exciting concession agreement. We look forward to enhancing the digital lives of the businesses and communities that are based around Nottingham city centre. This type of infrastructure investment is essential to the development and regeneration of areas and is the fourth we have completed within the past 18 months to add to our 17 established networks across the UK.”