Cambridge Council signs up Virgin for public sector network

Cambridgeshire County Council has contracted Virgin Media Business to build a county wide IT services framework.

The Cambridgeshire Public Sector Network (CPSN) will provide "a platform for delivering projects and services" which includes increased bandwidth for more than 200 schools and improved networking between public sector departments.

The project aims to grant "significant" savings while making it easier for public services to work in partnership.

Shared networking will keep costs down, delivering more for less while providing real benefits for our communities.

The partnership currently includes Cambridgeshire County Council, Fenland District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire & Rescue Service as well as the voluntary and community sector represented by the Cambridge Citizen's Advice Bureau.

"The new Cambridgeshire Public Sector Network agreement will provide faster, more cost-effective and secure networks that will enable public services across Cambridgeshire to deliver more efficient services," said Cambridgeshire County Councillor Linda Oliver, Cabinet Member for Resources and Performance.

"Shared networking will keep costs down, delivering more for less while providing real benefits for our communities," she added.

Mark Heraghty, Virgin Media Business' managing director, added: "We're absolutely committed to helping the public sector do more with technology, whether that be connecting multiple buildings with a super-fast network, empowering them to use the cloud or sharing valuable data across organisations."

"The CPSN Framework is a great example of the future of public sector technology procurement and we're incredibly proud to be making this happen."

In January, Virgin secured a five-year contract to run the London Grid for Learning broadband and networking for schools.