North Lanarkshire: Connecting
to a brighter future

A region of rich traditional heritage with epic castles and ancient Roman landmarks to explore. A scenic stretch of iconic countryside set between two of Scotland’s biggest cities. And vibrant towns that showcase the best of modern Scotland. But North Lanarkshire has ambitions to go even further with a £3.5bn investment programme over the next ten years, all designed to make the region the place to live, learn, work, invest and visit.

While Covid-19 has altered the course of many plans in 2020, it hasn’t derailed North Lanarkshire council’s aims to deliver outstanding services within the region. Throughout the pandemic, the council has used digital technology to support people and businesses effectively, mitigating and protecting against the ongoing effects of the virus. At the core of the robust Covid-19 recovery plan is the improvement of digital access through the Digital NL programme, with a wider roll-out of online services for all residents. A digital first strategy has never been more important.

Before the events of 2020 took hold, North Lanarkshire’s residents were already benefitting from fast, secure broadband, with Virgin Media coverage across almost 70% of the region. 84% of social housing is connected and able to access the online services they need. A steady programme of investment over the last few years has included a rollout of ultrafast broadband to over 15000 homes and businesses in Carluke and Stepps. And by 2021 Shotts and Harthill will benefit from 3.3k Fibre to the Premises (FTTP). Equal access to connectivity has been a goal throughout our 15-year partnership with the council.

Way before these uncertain times, North Lanarkshire council realised the importance of connectivity to improving economic growth and social equality for the region’s residents. The Smart NL programme has been created to connect communities and help close the education gap. While the plan to open eight town ‘hubs’ with integrated community and partnership services will be pivotal to tackling digital exclusion as quickly as possible in the most deprived areas. North Lanarkshire is way ahead of the curve - and looking optimistically to the future.

Virgin Media Business’ partnership with North Lanarkshire goes back 15 years - and our commitment can be measured by our long-term regional investment and expansion plans. We employ 233 staff at our key business site in Belshill, where we’ve renewed the lease and are planning refurbishments for our office there. And having designed and managed the IPVPN WAN, provided traditional voice services and SIP, and BNS maintenance services, we know the region’s network inside and out.

With coverage of over 1 million premises, £100 million of investment and over 700 staff employed in the country - our ties with Scotland run deep. We’re present across 13 offices and sites, and have brought Voom Fibre to power up businesses of all sizes. And we’re proud to say that we partner with organisations from ScotlandIS to SOCITM Scotland to advance digital technology to all four corners of the country. 

North Lanarkshire’s ambitions to improve lives through connectivity will require a partner that’s present, and committed to the cause. We can leverage our existing network infrastructure, immediately unlocking bandwidth potential with minimal disruption. Any transition plans can be flexible and based purely on your needs, so your network stays current. Our street cabinets and points of presence all exist to deliver future services and make Smart Cities a reality for North Lanarkshire.   

Working together we can achieve universal connectivity for North Lanarkshire. We’re up for the challenge and we’d love to talk.