Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has announced a new £30m partnership to make Liverpool the UK’s most digitally connected city.
The partnership wants to help make Liverpool the head of the next digital revolution by providing citywide ultrafast digital infrastructure.
The project will create an initial £105m for the local economy and is likely to create a future £1b boost. Thousands of local jobs and training schemes are expected to be created as a result of the boost.
Steve Rotheram said: “When I was elected, I made it a priority to make our region the most digitally connected anywhere in the country. Today we take a major step towards that, with the launch of this exciting partnership.
“As we have done so many times before, this is our region seizing the initiative, leading the way and crafting what I hope will be a lucrative and successful new future that everybody in our region can benefit from.
“It will make us leaders in the industries of tomorrow and help attract talent and investment from around the world.”
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will own half of the project along with North West based ITS Technology Group. Steve Rotheram hopes that this will allow the region to benefit from the project for years to come.
Daren Baythorpe, the CEO of ITS, said: “ITS is delighted to be awarded this contract and be part of the team rolling out full fibre across the Liverpool City Region.
“We are proud to be contributing significantly to the tremendous growth in the digital economy of the region.
“This programme will have a transformational effect for everyone in the region and we are excited to be playing a central role for its delivery.”
The infrastructure will be installed under roads, footpaths and bike lanes over a two-year period. In order to minimise the impact on road users the project will use innovative techniques to install the network.
The partnership hopes that the new fibre-optic technology will make region a world leader in digital technology.
(Photo courtesy of Christopher Czermak)
