Sign in My Account
Business news

eir evo secures major £7m network services contract with NI councils

Posted By:
eir evo

10th Jan 2023

Councils speed towards digital transformation with boost from leading telecoms provider eir evo UK connecting almost 600 sites in its most significant public sector contract secured to date

Leading telecoms and IT provider eir evo UK today announced it has won a major contract to deliver high-capacity fibre network and managed services to 10 regional councils across Northern Ireland.

Representing an investment of up to £7 million over 10 years, the eir evo network solution will connect almost 600 council sites across Northern Ireland with the required infrastructure to enable more efficient delivery of digital services, achieve productivity improvements for more than 8,500 employees and support the development of new technology initiatives from within the local councils.

Spearheaded by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council along with Mid Ulster District Council, the contract was awarded under the Local Full Fibre Networks fund developed by the Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport in support of the UK Industrial Strategy. The contract will see eir evo deliver Wide Area Network connectivity and managed services to the Full Fibre Northern Ireland consortium of 10 councils outside the Belfast area.

The network services contract also provides for the future-proofing of local councils through the latest in cyber security technologies and frameworks, which are offered under eir evo’s expert guidance, support and delivery partnerships. The cyber security protection offered by eir evo includes a prebuilt path to what is known as ‘Zero Trust’. This builds enhanced authentication, authorisation, and validation of access to the councils’ applications and data, delivering optimum cyber protection plus efficient use of the councils’ technical resources.

Confirming eir evo UK’s appointment, Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council, Councillor Paul Greenfield said:

“As we work to deliver digital transformation and enhanced connectivity in almost every area, we are pleased to appoint eir evo as our telecoms and IT partner. We are the lead partner in a consortium with nine other councils to ensure consistency and cohesion of contract delivery. Not only will this project support our work towards a ‘10x Economy’ which prioritises digital innovation, but it will drive greater accessibility and efficiency for all councils.

“With eir evo, we’re confident that we have the flexibility to keep on top of the latest advances in technologies to ensure we securely safeguard our digital infrastructure into the future for generations to come.”

Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Córa Corry, welcomed the announcement, saying:

“We’re delighted to partner with eir evo to deliver this transformative digital programme. Not only will this new project provide a significantly enhanced infrastructure for every council involved and improve how we work to better serve our ratepayers, but it will also support new digital initiatives we are working on today and into the future that will lead to a more connected Mid Ulster.

“We’re keen to demonstrate best practice in new technologies and digital enablement that can help us deliver the council services that matter to our citizens in the best way. I am confident that the services provided by eir evo UK can future-proof our commitment to innovation.”

eir evo recently announced a major office move, signing a 10-year lease to take residency on the tenth floor of the newly redeveloped Grade A office development The Vantage in Belfast city centre, where the company plans to further expand the team to support its growth and success in a next generation working environment.

Philip O’Meara, eir evo Regional Director for Northern Ireland, said:

“We’ve been successfully servicing the enterprise and public sector locally for more than a decade and this new contract further underscores not only our technology excellence but our commitment to service delivery and quality assurance.

“The councils will benefit greatly from our intelligent and managed network which allows each and every office to scale and adapt services to their individual needs whilst benefiting from seamless integration with the wider consortium. With the proactive, 24×7 monitoring from our Network Operations Centre in Belfast, the 10 Councils are fully supported with a local expert team and the latest in cyber security solutions to protect against the ever-changing threat landscape.

“We are very proud to be working with the local councils as they embark on a new phase of digital transformation and as we embark on our new phase of growth in Northern Ireland.”

Since 2007, eir evo UK has been providing local businesses with the widest range of managed services including voice and data networking solutions, and more recently with IT, cyber security and cloud technology. Earlier this year, eir evo UK also embarked on an ambitious growth strategy to bring its island-wide experience and powerful technical know-how to new and existing customers and cemented a new 20-year commitment to the region, having already invested over £10 million in the last 18 months upgrading its state-of-the-art fibre network and adding new staff positions to its customer-facing team based in Belfast.

eir evo is the largest provider to offer true end-to-end service delivery and technical innovation to the highest-level, both north and south.

The company has one of the most extensive partnership networks of globally recognised technology brands, achieving premium partner status with Microsoft, Cisco, HPE, Dell, Citrix, Palo Alto and Fortinet to name a few. This year it was named Microsoft Ireland Partner of the Year in recognition of its customer-first commitment to help organisations get the most out of their technology.

For more information, please visit www.eirevo.co.uk