Sure begins multimillion-pound network upgrade project

Wednesday 03 June 2020

Sure engineers have begun work on a £3million project which the firm has said will "futureproof the Channel Islands’ telecoms networks".

The work will upgrade the infrastructure that connects the Channel Islands to the global internet and is part of a five-year investment plan, first announced late last year.

As part of the project, the undersea fibre connectivity, which connects the islands to both the UK and France, and from there to the rest of the world, will be replaced and upgraded and engineers will commission new key networking equipment in London and Paris.

Sure has selected systems integration company Telent and network equipment manufacturer Juniper Networks to complete the work. The contract was signed last month and work is already underway with an expected completion date of early 2021.

Sure Group CEO Ian Kelly said that committing to the project now is a sign of the company’s confidence in the islands’ economies to bounce back from the recent global pandemic.

Pictured: Ian Kelly.

“This is a significant long-term investment for Sure, with the current pandemic situation a reminder that telecoms infrastructure is a key and growing component of our economy and daily lives,” said Mr Kelly.

“There’s never been more demand on our networks, and we want to make sure we stay well ahead of this demand by investing in long-term telecoms infrastructure that futureproofs the Channel Islands.”

James Morgan, Vice President, Enterprise Sales, EMEA at Juniper Networks said: “The varied geographies and environments of the Channel Islands can bring unique challenges to the deployment and management of telecommunication networks. By tackling this complexity together, through the use of our MX480 routers coupled with our partner Corero’s DDoS protection solution, Juniper can help Sure to seamlessly migrate its core network from 10G to 100G in order to meet the current challenges and set itself up for future success.”

Deputy Lyndon Trott, Vice President of the Policy & Resources Committee and the Chairman of Guernsey Finance, said: “The importance of connectivity has never been more stark than it is today.  Guernsey is one of the best, if not the best, digitally connected jurisdiction in the world and this investment will only seek to enhance that position. The timing of the announcement is crucial as it shows the continued and growing business confidence in Guernsey as we deliver the economic exit from the coronavirus pandemic. It reinforces our position as a finance destination of choice that provides stability and security.”

John Davison Chief Information Officer at First Central Insurance & Technology Group, an existing Sure Business customer, said: “We have been a customer of Sure for the last six years and in 2017 we decided to migrate our servers from the UK to Sure’s cloud platforms in Guernsey and Jersey. The security systems, the ‘state of the art’ cloud technology offered and the investment capability of Sure in futureproofing it are paramount. This important 100Gbps leapfrog connectivity uplift will enable us and businesses operating from the Channel Islands at large to take advantages in a rapidly changing ecosystem post coronavirus.”

The work is underway and most of it will be completed by Sure’s locally based team of network engineers.