Milestone in National Highways: Telent's seamless network upgrade

Telent, known for delivering mission-critical technology solutions, has marked a significant achievement with the completion of the Corporate Wide Area Network rollout for National Highways. Over 124 strategic sites across the UK have been connected in a mere three months, showcasing an important step in the organisation's digital infrastructure modernisation.

The project aimed at transitioning National Highways' corporate network estate from its previous provider. Key aspects of this initiative included the deployment of a national SD-WAN solution, two data centre setups, and an integrated management system, supported by both remote and site-based engineering services.

Highlights of the Project:

• Design, integration, and migration of 124 sites from March to June 2025.
• Painless onboarding process ensured uninterrupted services for end users.
• An average of 5,400 daily users connected to the revitalised network.
• Daily transfer of 74 terabytes of data, supporting critical applications.
• Enhanced bandwidth and improved performance metrics noted post implementation.

The sites, including regional operations centres, headquarters, depots, and outstations, form the backbone of National Highways' IT-critical infrastructure, catering to staff and processes alike. Each migration adhered to strict change management controls and stakeholder approval, minimising operational disruptions.

The upgraded network underpins business applications and facilitates inter-site collaboration and secure data access. This transformation is pivotal for ensuring efficient service delivery and reliable operations of the UK's road network.

Andy Gifford, Director of Highways at Telent, highlighted the project's complexity and the noteworthy achievement of a swift and effective migration that enhances service capability.

The undertaking was part of Telent’s efforts within the National Highways Information Technology Commercial Framework (ITCF) and aligns with broader transformation goals, involving ongoing enhancements related to the National Roads Telecommunications Service (NRTS).

Craig Bromage, Head of Infrastructure at National Highways, praised the partnership with Telent, noting the project as a testament to exceptional planning and stakeholder engagement.

Looking ahead, as National Highways embarks on the next phase of its digital evolution, the success of this rollout exemplifies a model for rapid, robust, and scalable network transformations, paving the way for future projects like NRTS3.