Arcadis has been awarded a contract to support the Sheffield City Region with South Yorkshire’s digital infrastructure strategy.
Arcadis will review the existing South Yorkshire Digital Strategy which sets out a vision where connectivity creates new jobs and uses the technology to improve the lives of people in the region. The commission will include an assessment of public assets with the potential to support and contribute to the full fibre and 5G roll-out, both now and in the future.
With the Coronavirus pandemic highlighting the importance of digital connectivity, the review is both timely and urgent. Arcadis will provide guidance and advocacy to enable the Sheffield City Region to better access investment for digital infrastructure implementation and other full fibre, 5G and digital connectivity related projects.
Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority, which covers Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley, is responsible for driving the economic growth of a region with a population of almost 1.5million people and more than 47,000 businesses.
In recent years, Superfast South Yorkshire, a local broadband project team, has worked with Central Government and telecoms operators to deliver broadband connectivity across the Region.
With Government planning to spend £5billion on rural fibre and £1billion on rural mobile coverage, Sheffield City Region want to be well positioned to make sure that rural areas are well positioned in the coming process.
Covid-19 has ratcheted up the digital stakes, shining a spotlight on digital health and education as well as the move to home working.
Mark Harrop, Head of Telecoms Sector at Arcadis said:
“We are really pleased to be awarded this work and look forward to bringing our relevant local experience and new thinking. This is something that really excites me about Arcadis. We were able to reference the work with our water team in Yorkshire Water on an innovation project using fibre broadband through water mains. Arcadis must have been unique in being able to suggest closer working with Yorkshire Water to support rural broadband. As a company, we are really powerful when we join up the dots across our sectors and help our clients connect with one-another.”
James Muir, Chair of the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, said:
“South Yorkshire has huge potential in the digital sector and by working with Arcadis we will be able to build on our region’s capabilities by identifying what infrastructure is needed to bring full 5G and fibre rollout to the region.
“Connecting people and places is a core part of the SCR’s ambition to develop a stronger, greener and fairer economy post-Covid and our partnership with Arcadis will bring better and more reliable internet access to businesses and residents across South Yorkshire in the future.”
