Digital Greenwich Connect Ltd has been incorporated to design, build, maintain and commercialise a 21km full-fibre, gigabit-capable network infrastructure.
The venture was formally launched by leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, councillor Anthony Okereke, on 23 February during an event at Woolwich Works in south-east London.
The new ‘digital highway’ is a £2m joint venture between DG Cities, an innovation company set up and owned by Greenwich Council, and full-fibre provider ITS Technology Group. Each company has invested £1m into the programme.
Its goal is to ‘showcase a new model for a highly connected world and drive a modern, ethical and sustainable regional economy that allows every business and person to connect and thrive’.
Digital Greenwich Connect said connectivity will be improved substantially in the area at an affordable price while enabling public service transformation and an improvement in digital skills.
New deployment techniques are being used as part of the network to minimise impact on the environment, local residents and transport users, utilising existing public infrastructure wherever possible.
Internet service providers using the network will be able to offer speeds of 1,000mbps and beyond. In its initial launch phase, the network will cover a 21km area within Woolwich, with further expansion planned.
The initiative has been designed to ensure that social housing and community centres are included in the strategy.
“Fast, reliable connectivity is vital to businesses, attracting investment, supporting innovation and improving services for local residents - particularly as many more people now rely on high speed broadband to work at home,” said Daren Baythorpe, CEO of ITS Technology Group.
“Partnerships like these can really accelerate access to critical internet and gigabit capable speeds for both businesses and residents, but also give value back to communities.”