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From London to Istanbul and back - Improving UAL’s networks

Students using technology on campus
  • Written byInternal Communications
  • Published date 14 November 2023
Students using technology on campus
Image: Students in the Digital Labs, 2023, Central Saint Martins | Photography: Bruce Basudde

Over the years, our students and staff have fed back that a strong and reliable connection on campus is crucial to their experience at UAL. In our ongoing efforts to deliver a digital experience that aligns with our community’s expectations – and set our students up for a changing, and increasingly digital world - we’ve been working on UAL’s network across all the Colleges.

Our priority is making sure that our community has access to a network that provides a reliable internet connection with increased capacity so that you can learn, teach, work and study effectively.

What do you mean by ‘the network’?

The network includes all our WiFi and wired network including connections between buildings and colleges, data centres and our connection out to the internet.

Here are some numbers of give an idea of scale: our cabling is so long that it could cover the journey from London to Istanbul and back!

  • 1,883 WiFi access points
  • 4,873,500 meters of cabling
  • 37,504 network ports

Why are we improving the network?

A stronger and more reliable network means that:

  • your internet connection is less likely to crash whilst on a call or an online lecture
  • you’ll be able to access WiFi in more places than before on campus
  • you can connect more devices (the number of devices used per person has doubled in the last 5 years!)
  • your experience will be more consistent across colleges

What are we doing to make that happen?

To make this happen, we are:

  • modernising our physical infrastructure (that is the cables, the sockets, and all the equipment in our buildings)
  • improving our WiFi connection by widening its reach
  • improving how our buildings are connected between each other and to the internet
  • using technologies that allow us to manage and improve the network in an efficient way

What’s the timeline?

December 2023 marks the halfway point by which time we will have upgraded our connection between sites and our WiFi network equipment.

1. Set up the team

Our team for the Network Replacement Programme was set up in August 2022.

2. Begin preparation and enabling works

Preparation and enabling works began in summer 2022.

3. Install the network

Work to install the 'core-to-core' backbone of the network has already started, we are reaching a middle point in December 2023.

By then, we will have finished the installation of the new network in our EastBank campus and will have upgraded the network in Central Saint Martins.

4. Upgrading network

The new network will be rolled out to other sites starting from January 2024. This will involve making the network easier to manage and more efficient when it comes to troubleshooting and fixing issues.

5. Complete the upgrade phase

We aim to complete by summer 2025.

6. Deliver a responsive network service

Once we’ve completed the installation and upgrade, we will make sure our network is optimised as user needs change over time.

What’s next?

We’re expecting to share more news with you by the end of this year, but thought we’d give you a heads up with all the good work that is going into modernising our network to support your work, your studies, and your creative practice.