Extending govroam: connectivity beyond the fixed fibre network

Introducing extending govroam

In collaboration with the public sector, our vision is to address historical challenges of providing reliable, authenticated internet connectivity beyond the existing fibre infrastructure by extending govroam across the UK. This will enable individuals in the public sector to work seamlessly from various off-site locations such as:

• Community health centres
• Doctor surgeries
• At-home patient care environments
• Care and residential homes
• Shared workspaces
• Within the community care sector
• Libraries, sports and cultural centres
• Museums

The current state of govroam

Govroam provides reliable wifi access across hundreds of public sector organisations to the UK, including NHS Trusts, local authorities, emergency services, and education. Our configuration ensures a secure and robust connection, with dedicated radius servers located in AWS for both govroam and eduroam.

How extending govroam works

Like our extending eduroam service, we’ll use 4G and 5G devices to provide wifi connectivity beyond the fixed fibre network, utilising cellular technology. It will be a Jisc-managed cloud service via Cradlepoint’s NetCloud Manager (zero-touch, remote management and reporting), with a secure authenticated ‘govroam configuration’. ​The devices are quick and easy to install, simply plug in and go.

How it will transform the public sector

Extend reach

We’re exploring the feasibility of bringing govroam to more public sector locations, including libraries, museums, and other community spaces.

Enhanced user experience

Improve connection speed and reliability for a better user experience. We're currently researching ways to improve the flexibility of delivery and the ability to meet end-user demands for govroam connections.

Ensure security

Maintain high security standards while expanding govroam’s reach and capabilities.