MLL Telecom, a Buckinghamshire-based specialist in public sector connectivity, has been selected to carry out LAN and WiFi upgrades for 25 schools in the South East of England. The upgrades are part of the Department for Education’s (DfE) Connect the Classroom programme, aimed at improving digital infrastructure in schools.

The £2 million project will see MLL Telecom deliver new cabling, enhanced connection speeds, strengthened security and greater network resilience for schools across East Sussex, Essex, Kent, Hampshire and Surrey. These improvements will provide schools with more reliable and faster wireless connectivity to support their teaching and administrative needs.

Connect the Classroom, announced in 2023 and set to run until 2025, provides funding for schools within education investment areas or those rated as “requiring improvement” or “inadequate” by Ofsted. MLL Telecom’s involvement builds on its existing role as a key partner of the South East Grid, a network working to improve connectivity across councils, public services and schools throughout the region.

MLL Telecom already works with South East Grid, a network that is working to improve connectivity in the region’s councils, public sector services and schools.

Mark Freeborough, MLL client manager, public sector – south, commented: “We are delighted to be part of the DfE’s initiative in equipping schools and academies with the secure and reliable high-speed network connectivity that teachers and students urgently need. Our network solutions will help to maximise the learning experience with the potential for lessons being disrupted by patchy internet connection or slow response times a thing of the past.”