COV - Call for interest for Long-Term Evolution (LTE) mobile connectivity services for Coventry

Tender description

This advertisement is a in relation to a Prior Information Notice (PIN) published onto TED and Contracts Finder. The PIN is a call for interest only. Coventry is the 13th largest city in the UK and has a growing population of around 340,000 residents. We see digital as an enabler to improvements both within the council's processes as well as for the prospects and future of the city. A draft digital strategy is expected to be approved by the Council's cabinet in early 2017 indicating the importance elected members place on the potential of digital services. The Council acknowledge that in order to grow the digital capabilities of the city the right infrastructure need to be in place. There is a huge programme of transformation happening in the city of Coventry which will provide new commercial, retail, leisure and residential accommodation. The Council wants to ensure that there is sufficient Long-Term Evolution (LTE*) mobile connectivity and capacity in place for this growing market. The Council is looking to engage with suppliers who can work with the Council to develop and provide an operator agnostic infrastructure and design for LTE services in the city of Coventry. The Council will be able to offer physical locations for siting small cells to deliver LTE. Initially this would provide 4G capability but with a design which is capable of be transitioned to 5G in the future. We are also keen to consider future 5G implementations and collaborate with new developments to deliver in-building LTE coverage. The Supplier will need to have partnerships with major mobile network operators and be expected to be able to evidence this. The type of contractual model the Council would wish to use would be concession based but the Council are open to potential business models involving financial investment and a revenue share. The Council would expect an LTE platform to be designed and implemented within Coventry which operators can exploit to provide excellent coverage in the city and enable innovative digital solutions. Coventry City Council encourages any expressions of interest to be made by 16:00hrs Thursday 9th March 2017 so the Council can assess and plan based on the potential level of interest expressed at this stage. *In telecommunication, Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is a standard for high-speed wireless communication for mobile phones and data terminals.