Three into one does go!

MLL Telecom is delighted to be continuing its longstanding relationship with Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council (BCP).  Having served the council throughout the local government reorganisation over the last five plus years, MLL has extended its existing network services contract through the remainder of 2025 and 2026.  

In 2019, after a competitive tender, MLL was appointed by BCP Council to commence the consolidation of three previously separate wide area networks. This followed the council’s creation from the combining of three former borough councils – Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole – in one of the first examples in England of such a merger.

At the time there were approximately 90 sites using various circuits, ranging from legacy connectivity to newer managed technologies. To date, as part of BCP Council’s ongoing transition and eventual transformation to a cloud-first infrastructure, MLL has successfully streamlined and reduced the number of circuits necessary to around 80 sites.

These include the Bournemouth headquarters, various offices, country parks, museums and depots along with the addition of several libraries – all of which have been upgraded or optimised to ensure they are fit-for-purpose. The number of circuits deployed will continue to evolve over the next 18 months as part of the ongoing consolidation with adjustments in bandwidths, technology and adds moves and changes – enabling the council to optimise the bandwidth at each site and the cost involved.

“From the outset, we recognised the significant potential economies of scale available by partnering with a single experienced network solutions provider,” said Marc Biondic, Head of IT Infrastructure, BCP Council. “MLL’s account, project and service management teams have been exemplary, helping ensure we have remained on track for achieving our network consolidation and optimisation objectives, while at the same time, maintaining a reliable network service at all times for BCP Council employees and the local communities we serve.”

He added: “Throughout, in a changing environment, MLL’s flexibility and deep technical knowledge have been indispensable, and we are delighted to be continuing our successful partnership.“

Matt Baker, MLL’s Strategic Client Director, South, said: “Our ongoing success and contract extension with BCP Council is testimony to the calibre and stability of the team we have in place for providing the customer with total service continuity, strong technical expertise and a high level of responsiveness.”    

BCP Council’s network is fully supported 24/7 by MLL’s centralised Network Operations Centre based in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.  The team includes Client Management, Technical Consultancy, Project Management, Service Management and Field Engineers.