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ISPreview has discovered that the Crawley Borough Council (CBC) in West Sussex (England) has just awarded the ITS Technology Group with a contract for their new £1.5 million (state aid) project, which aims to provide every business in Manor Royal (business park) with the ability to connect to gigabit broadband.
The new network, which is being supported by funding from the previous Government’s £3.6bn Towns Fund programme (details), is expected to be built using a combination of new infrastructure, as well as reusing existing assets (e.g. ducts).
Whilst the provision of gigabit-capable connectivity to the Manor Royal business park is the “minimum requirement” for this project, elements of the funding may also be used for complimentary initiatives to further enhance the economic benefit. Such initiatives may potentially involve extending the network and deploying FTTP to other regions within Crawley, as well as possibly a resilient backhaul fibre route to connect the nearby business parks of Lowfield Heath and Three Bridges (this is still tentative).
In addition, there may also be indirect benefits to residents as the infrastructure could support additional FTTP broadband deployment within the town, which would bring further choice for consumers and enable Crawley to be a truly ‘digital’ town. But that may require additional private investment to realise.
Contract Description
Up to GBP1.5 million in funding has been secured through the UK Government’s Towns Fund initiative for this project, and will be allocated towards the deployment of fibre-to-the-premise (FTTP) digital infrastructure throughout the Manor Royal business park, enabling access to gigabit-capable connectivity for 100% of premises in the park. As such, the Council is seeking to engage a partner to build, operate, maintain and commercialise this network.
The establishment of a commercial partnership, achieved through a combination of public and private investment, is central to maximising the project’s economic benefit, by increasing the capital that can be deployed and thereby expanding the potential FTTP coverage across Crawley.
Just for some context. The Manor Royal Business District is the biggest business park of the Gatwick Diamond area and one of the South East’s premier mixed activity employment hubs. Situated on the Sussex and Surrey county borders adjacent to London Gatwick Airport, it covers an area of 540 acres and is home to over 600 businesses generating 30,000 jobs.