N3
An overview for staff
working in IT and
telecommunications
What is N3?
N3 is the name for the new National Network that will provide wide area networking services to
the NHS in England. N3 will provide substantially increased bandwidth over the current
NHSnet and greater value for money. N3 will enable the implementation of the
NHS Care Records Service, the Electronic Booking Service, the Electronic
Transmission of Prescriptions and the transfer of digital images such as
x-rays (Picture Archiving Communication Systems) (PACS).
How will N3 services be provided?
Benefits of N3
The N3 service provider will act as an integrator, offering multiple
sourcing options for all components of N3 and ensuring flexibility.
The service provider will provide Foundation Services and Catalogue
Services.
• N3 will provide appropriate bandwidth for NHS organisations
to enable the implementation of NPfIT initiatives
Foundation Services:
Foundation Services will include customer engagement and account
management; a fault reporting service and network management.
These services will be fixed for the life of the contract and will be
centrally funded.
Catalogue Services:
Catalogue services will be the list of different connections available to
NHS organisations. There will be a wide range of size and type of
connection, using all applicable networking technologies.
• N3 will deliver bandwidth at significantly lower prices and ensure
ongoing value for money for the NHS throughout the duration
of the contract
• N3 offers a range of technical solutions, providing flexible options
for connectivity that can be tailored to fit the needs of individual
organisations
• N3 allows the NHS to take early advantage of updates and
improvements in networking technology
N3 enables NHS organisations to integrate their voice and data
networks making substantial savings on the cost of telephony.
Connections will be allocated according to need, based on the number
of network devices and the types of applications in use at a site.
N3 is a key enabler for the government’s Broadband Aggregation
Programme (BAP) that aims for the UK to be in the lead of G7
countries that are wired for electronic government services. By
aggregating the broadband requirements of all public sector services
including the NHS, education, local authorities etc, cheaper prices
can be obtained for network bandwidth.
This is a different approach from NHSnet, which offered a fixed size
of connection to trusts and to GP practices.
N3 will also help to bring broadband connectivity to rural
communities through providing circuits to rural NHS sites.
Funding
Next Steps:
Connections to N3 will be centrally funded in order to support
business need and the agreed priorities of the National Programme.
Where organisations have local requirements above and beyond
those priorities it will be possible to purchase locally funded top-up
services from the N3 service provider.
All Trusts in the NHS (including Community and Mental Health
Trusts) are customers of N3. Primary Care Trusts will also act as the
customer on behalf of their GP practices as GP practices will not be
able to order N3 connections for themselves. All N3 customers will
have an identified N3 account manager.
Implementation
Each customer will need to sign an Access Agreement in order to
take advantage of N3 services. An Expression of Interest must be
completed on the N3 website (see below) and a copy of the Access
Agreement will be sent for signature.
National Allocation
The first phase of implementation for N3 started in April 2004 and
the intention is to migrate approximately 6,000 sites in the first year
of implementation. The complete migration of all sites from NHSnet
is expected to take approximately three years. Initial priorities for
migration will include:
• early adopter sites for other National Programme initiatives,
such as the NHS Care Records Service and the Electronic
Booking Service
• those sites whose NHSnet contracts are due to expire within
12 months
• sites where significant cost savings can be made by converging
voice and data networks.
There will be a substantial number of new connections to N3, taking
the total number of connections from 10,000 to 18,000.
The telecommunications services described in this publication are subject to availability and may be modified from
time to time. Services and equipment are provided to BritishTelecommunications plc’s respective standard conditions
of contracts. Nothing in this publication forms any part of a contract. © British Telecommunications plc 2003,
Registered office: 81 Newgate Street, London EC1A 7AJ. Registered in England No.1800000
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More information can be found at
www.n3.nhs.uk