The works we have completed and that are ongoing in Tameside cover the installation of over 80KM of underground dark fibre infrastructure. Core Integrated have worked in partnership with Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council (TMBC) for initial roll-out. Core assisted with the infrastructure design with TMBC’s direct engineering services team who undertook the installation of the underground duct and chamber network.
To make the roll-out cost-effective, Core guided TMBC on the use of any existing duct network and other cable infrastructure they already had in place throughout the borough. One such example was the use of UTC duct, particularly where the new duct routes would cross busy traffic junctions.
The use of the existing UTC duct helped control the costs and need for the install of new duct where specialist traffic management would be needed or where out-of-hours civil engineering works would be required for the routing of the fibre cable across the junctions. The avoidance of the install of new duct across junctions helped keep the infrastructure roll-out on budget.
The fibre connectivity was initially used for the connection of Council Buildings, Schools & Colleges, CCTV cameras and public space Wi-Fi in the Ashton-under-Lyne, Denton, Dukinfield, Droylsden, Hattersley, Hyde and Stalybridge areas. More recently, further dark fibre infrastructure has been rolled-out to provide Council Building and Wifi connectivity to the Broadbottom, Hattersley, Mossley and Mottram areas.
The council have also entered into partnership with Tameside NHS and the Cooperative Network Infrastructure (CNI) co-operative who utilise the installed fibre infrastructure. The NHS have utilised the initial fibre infrastructure to provide connectivity to over 30 doctor surgeries and medical practices in the Tameside Metropolitan area. More recently a further 5 surgeries have benefited from connectivity in the Mossley area.
With the use of PIA duct further connectivity has also been rolled out to Glossop and Hadfield where doctors surgeries and medical centres have also benefited from connectivity. All of the NHS connections are routed via the dark fibre infrastructure into Tameside Hospitals Data Centre in Ashton-under-Lyne.
Core have an ongoing maintenance contract to provide managed call-out support to CNI, TMBC and the NHS. For CNI the infrastructure is utilised to provide private business and enterprise connectivity. There are a number of Telecoms Companies which are members of the CNI Co-op. The members rent fibre to facilitate these connections.
To date there around 50 businesses who benefit from the use of the fibre infrastructure.