Public sector networks resource centre

The case for network sharing in the public sector

The case for network sharing, for example, is a compelling one, with many potential benefits. These include significant cost savings - MLL Telecom has found that a 25% reduction in network costs is not unusual.

Perhaps even more importantly, a shared network is an essential platform on which to deliver other shared services and integration of processes and data across public sector organisations. This is demonstrated by initiatives such as the Government Secure Extranet (GCSx). For these reasons the majority of respondents (75%) confirmed that they had plans to implement network sharing initiatives within the next three years.

Choosing the right technology and design

It can be difficult to weigh up how far one can go in cost cutting, without affected the performance of the network. Pay too little for redundancy, for example, and you could be stung with costs in downtime or for upgrades in the future.

Our experts have compiled a top ten list of things to look for when purchasing a WAN, or a shared network.

Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) & Ethernet First Mile (EFM)

10Mb/s connections delivered with EFM can deliver savings of over 50% compared with fibre alternatives.

Local Loop Unbundling, also know as Ethernet First Mile (EFM) is ideally suited to communities of users that are concentrated in one area, such as a county or town.

Local Loop Unbundling involves using unbundled copper pairs from a telephone exchange, and depending on the number of copper pairs used it typically provides between 10Mbit/s and 40Mbit/s using EFM technology. 10Mb/s connections delivered with EFM can deliver savings over 50% compared with fibre alternatives.

Read more about LLU and EFM here.

How a county-wide PSN shared network can save costs and improve service

In any given county or unitary authority are there are many separate networks for different public sector bodies - for example: Police, Schools, Libraries and the like. Local Authorities facing the combined challenge of finding significant cost reductions at the same time as meeting the ever-increasing demand for network bandwidth can meet these two opposing demands by creating a single county-wide shared network which can be used by many public sector bodies.

Such networks have been built already, typically covering several hundred locations right across a county. Sharing the network securely eliminates duplication of costs and by combining budgets you can build a carrier-grade shared network with much higher capacity and resilience than the individual networks it replaces.

The technologies behind public sector shared networks

A well-designed county-wide shared network, usually reaching over 500 locations and using more than 1000 links, will make use of different technologies and network media to provide the best reliability and capacity and deliver that to any location, no matter how remote. These will usually include fibre, BT circuits, Ethernet First Mile (EFM) using Local Loop Unbundling and microwave links. Selecting the right technology for every network link will ensure your network is of the highest quality for the optimal cost. That's why it's important to speak to a network partner that's not tied to one technology or network.