Sure to invest millions in infrastructure

Monday 14 October 2019

Sure has announced a multi-million-pound investment plan for Guernsey that will "future-proof the island’s telecoms infrastructure" and equip it for a digital future over the next five years.

Sure is investing in a range of new broadband technologies, which will increase speeds and see trials take place for fibre directly to the home and 5G services, which will commence in the coming months.

The first phase of the telecom's investment plan is upgrading the subsea cables that link Guernsey to the rest of the world and provide the majority of the island’s communications needs including broadband, voice and data services. 

Upgrades to the subsea cables will increase capacity of Sure’s network to 300 Gigabits per second, an increase of almost 300%, to meet the island’s future bandwidth needs for the next five years. This new network make it much easier to upgrade at increments of 100 Gigabits; an increase of more than ten times over the technology deployed today.

“The importance of our subsea infrastructure really can’t be overstated," said Sure CEO Ian Kelly. "Guernsey has been winning business on the world stage as a direct result of our network resilience and of course it keeps all of us connected in our daily lives. It is the unseen foundation that enables and secures connectivity for businesses, in our homes and when mobile.

Pictured: Mr Kelly recently sat down with Guernsey Connect to discuss Sure's investment plans and the future of the telecoms industry. 

“We’re carrying out this upgrade work, which is a significant multi-million-pound investment, to reinforce the quality of the infrastructure and ensure that our network continues to be the most resilient in the Channel Islands.

“The digital future and this investment are aligned with the States of Guernsey’s ambitious telecoms strategy as we work together to secure the island’s continued prosperity and success.”

Sure’s subsea infrastructure consists of multiple cables that connect the island to the other Channel Islands, the UK and Europe. The network’s resilience is such that it can withstand two separate failures and still keep the island connected, as happened in 2017 when a cable was damaged by a ship which meant other telecoms operators were reliant on Sure’s network to carry all traffic.

“This is an exciting five-year investment programme which will significantly enhance residential broadband and business connectivity and is a clear signal of Sure’s commitment to Guernsey.”

Pictured top: One of Sure's masts (image by Ben Fiore) with, inset, Ian Kelly.