This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'Internet and IT Infrastructure'.


 
           
           THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH  Records Management Section 
 
The University of Edinburgh 
Old College 
 
South Bridge 
Edinburgh EH8 9YL 
 
 
 
Direct Dial       0131 651 4099 
 
Switchboard   0131 650 1000 
 
 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xx.xx.xx 
16 August 2021 
 
www.ed.ac.uk/records-management 
 
 
 
 File ref: FOI2021/00079  
 
 
 
 Ellen Blacow 
 
  
 
 Sent by email: request-726834-
 
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx 
 
 
 
Dear Ellen Blacow 
Freedom of Information request: FOI2021/00079 
Thank you for your email of 12 February 2021 requesting information about the 
University of Edinburgh's internet and IT structure. Please accept our apologies for the 
delay to our response to your request. The University’s working practices are currently 
affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. 
The University of Edinburgh is a global university, rooted in Scotland. We are global y 
recognised for our research, development and innovation and we have provided world-
class teaching to our students for more than 430 years. We are the largest university in 
Scotland and in 2019/20 our annual revenue was £1.12 bil ion, of which £296 mil ion was 
research income. We have over 44,000 students and over 15,000 staff. We are a 
founding member of the UK's Russell Group of leading research universities and a 
member of the League of European Research Universities. 
The University has over 600 buildings (excluding residential accommodation), located on 
a number of sites dispersed throughout the city of Edinburgh. It also provides residential 
accommodation for around 9,500 students at over 40 different locations, 
The University comprises three academic colleges, subdivided into twenty-one schools, 
and three support groups, subdivided into some seventy support services. The University 
operates a devolved management structure, with IT arrangements and complaints dealt 
with at central, college, school and department level. Providing a comprehensive 
response to all of your questions would involve contacting almost every area of the 
University.  Doing this would cost more than £600, the limit over which the University is 
not required to respond to freedom of information requests.   
However, in responding to your request I have provided information held by the 
University’s Information Services Group (ISG), which provide central IT support services, 
Accommodation, Catering and Events (ACE), which provide accommodation services, 
and Academic Services, which manage complaints dealt with centrally.  
University Secretary:  Ms Sarah Smith 
 
    
 
 
The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336 
 
   
 
  
  
  
 
    
 

 
Internet and IT structure 
You asked how much the University spent on broadband during the 2019/20 financial 
year. ISG report a spend of £568.60. ACE report a spend of £602,000. 
  
You asked for the internet network provider. We have interpreted this question to mean 
who provides the University’s public network/internet connectivity. Like most, if not all, UK 
universities, we connect to the JANET network provided by Jisc. This includes student 
accommodation, with the University now providing its own network services with JANET 
providing the internet connectivity. Optify provided the service until June 2021.   
 
You asked for the average network speed on each of the University's campuses. The 
University has five key campuses. However, one of these is a collection of properties 
across Edinburgh City Centre, so is not a traditional ‘campus’. It is difficult to provide 
specific figures, it is not possible to calculate an average network speed on each 
campus, as there are many different technologies in operation and multiple variable 
factors affecting speed, including whether it is between two devices or one device and 
the internet and the location of the devices. Nevertheless, the University's campus 
connectivity ranges from a minimum of 2 x 10Gbps up to 2 x 40Gbps and the majority of 
edge ports are 1Gbps. The University is currently conducting a network replacement 
project, which wil  see the minimum speed for campus connectivity increase to 40Gbps. 
In directly managed University accommodation, the average network speed is 100-
150Mb/s.  
 
You asked for the percentage of each campus covered by Wi-Fi. The University does not 
hold details on the percentage of coverage for each campus and the University is not 
required to create new information in order to respond to freedom of information 
requests. However, please note that the University has Wi-Fi in all the areas required, 
including teaching rooms, meeting rooms, office spaces, lecture hal s, corridors and 
communal spaces, as well as some limited outdoor spaces. The University is currently 
conducting a network replacement project to replace the entire University network and 
this includes improved Wi-Fi coverage and signal strength to ensure there are no black 
spots. Directly managed University accommodation has 100% Wi-Fi coverage in 
bedrooms and common areas. 
 
You asked for the number of times the University has switched network provider between 
January 2015 and December 2020. We were unsure how to interpret this question. If you 
mean the provider of the University's connection to the internet, the answer is zero. If you 
mean the provider that manages the University's (internal) network, the answer is zero. If 
you mean the supplier of the University's (internal) network equipment, the answer is 
one. 
 
You asked how many broadband routers there are across all University campus 
buildings. In terms of the campuses, there is one broadband router for a smal  remote 
teaching/study room. In terms of directly managed University accommodation, there are 
four DSL routers covering small isolated flats. This is mostly a managed network using 
fibre links. 
 
You asked whether the University has fibre-optic broadband across any campus 
buildings. ISG report that there are no campus buildings with fibre-optic broadband 

 

 
managed by ISG. In terms of directly managed University accommodation, however, 
ACE report that almost all buildings have fibre connections. 
 
You asked whether any of the directly managed University accommodation residences 
require an ethernet cable as opposed to Wi-Fi. No, al  directly managed University 
accommodation has Wi-Fi.  
 
You asked whether any of the directly managed University accommodation residences 
have the option of both an ethernet cable and Wi-Fi, and to provide a list of the names of 
the residences where the answer is yes. A list of the names of residences with the option 
of both is as follows: 
  •  Baird House 
•  Chancel or's Court 
•  Ewing House 
•  Fraser Court 
•  Grant House 
•  John Burnett House 
•  Holland House  
•  Holland Annexe 
•  Lee House 
•  Turner House 
•  Ascham Court 
•  Blacket Avenue 
•  Blackfriars Street  
•  Blackwood Crescent  
•  Causewayside  
•  College Wynd 
•  College Wynd 
•  Darroch Court  
•  Davie Street  
•  East Newington Place  
•  Hermits Croft  
•  Kincaids Court  
•  Morgan Court  
•  New Arthur Place  
•  Nicolson Street 5 
•  Nicolson Street 92 & 96 
•  Ratcliffe Terrace 
•  Robertson Close 
•  Roxburgh Place  
•  Sciennes 
•  South Bridge  & Drummond Street  
•  South Clerk Street 
•  South College Street 
•  Warrender Park Road  
•  Warrender Park Crescent  
•  West Mains  
•  West Nicolson Street 

 

 
•  West Richmond Street 
•  Buccluech Place 
•  Buccleuch Place Lane 
•  David Horn House  
•  Kitchener House  
•  Patrick Geddes 
•  Edward Salvesen 
•  Phillip Henman 
•  Churchil  House   
•  Fleming House  
•  Nicolson Street 
•  Deaconess 
•  O'Shea South 
•  O'Shea North  
•  Orrok Lane 
•  Plus 93 individual flats (not blocks) 
Data destruction 
You asked whether the University has a data destruction policy. We contacted ISG in 
relation to this question and they reported they do not have a specific data destruction 
policy. However, if you can clarify what you mean by data destruction policy, for example 
what you would consider to be covered by such a policy, we can make further enquiries 
in relation to this part of your request.  
 
Please note however that the University’s retention of personal data is managed in 
accordance with data protection legislation. Further information about data protection at 
the University, including the University's Record Retention Schedules is published on its 
website.  
Student complaints 
You asked for the number of student complaints received by the University relating to the 
'internet', 'Wi-Fi' and 'broadband' between January 2015 and December 2020, and for the 
number of complaints to be provided by calendar year.  
 
ACE report that they do not hold any information about student complaints relating to the 
'internet', 'Wi-Fi' and 'broadband' in student accommodation during the period. ACE also 
noted that complaints could be directed to many areas of the University and that students 
in directly managed University accommodation are advised to direct complaints, queries 
or support requests directly to the internet service provider. As explained above, although 
the University now provides its own network services, with JANET providing the internet 
connectivity, Optify provided the service until June 2021. 
 
Academic Services do not collate data relating to 'internet', 'Wi-Fi' and 'broadband' as 
part of our statutory reporting process. However, a keyword search of the Central 
University Complaints log, which records matters that are reported to the Central 
University Complaints team directly at Stage 1 of the Complaint Handling Procedure 
(CHP), or escalated by the Central University team to Stage 2, has found no complaints 
in the log using those terms.  

 

 
 
Please note that this response does not contain information on complaints made via the 
50 plus Schools, Colleges and service areas that submit data to the Academic Services 
team each quarter. All ‘areas’ submit four returns each academic year. These are 
discrete documents which are never integrated into Academic Serivces’ Central log. ISG 
would have made around 20 returns for the period in question. A quarterly return 
comprises of an Excel spreadsheet and narrative report, which Academic Services, or 
ISG, would need to manually interrogate to obtain the information requested. In the case 
of ISG, it is estimated that it would take a minimum of 30 minutes to review each return, 
which amounts to more than one day of work. Doing this would cost more than £100, the 
limit over which the University is able to charge a fee for responding to requests. The 
level of the fee is set by legislation, and is set at 10% of any cost over £100, to a 
maximum of £50. Please let me know if you would like this charge to be calculated. The 
basis on which we calculate the cost of responding to freedom of information requests is 
set out in the freedom of information charging information on our website. It should also 
be noted that many quarterly returns from this period wil  be in paper files in Old College.  
Requested format 
We are aware that you requested a response in machine readable format where 
applicable. We have provided your response in PDF format, as machine readable 
formats do not tend to present as well.  However, if you would like us to provide your 
response in a different format, please let us know. It would be helpful if you could specify 
what type of machine readable format you would prefer. 
Right to review 
If you are dissatisfied with this response, you may ask the University to conduct a review 
of this decision by contacting the University's Records Management Section in writing 
(e.g. by letter or email) or in some other recorded form (e.g. audio or video tape). You 
should describe the original request, explain your grounds for dissatisfaction, and include 
an address for correspondence. You have 40 working days from receipt of this letter to 
submit a review request. The contact details for the Records Management Section are at 
the top of this letter. When the review process has been completed, if you are stil  
dissatisfied, you may use the Scottish Information Commissioner’s guidance on making 
an appeal to make an appeal to the Commissioner. If you do not have access to the 
Internet, please let me know and I wil  provide a copy of the relevant web pages. 
Privacy notice for information request applicants 
The University of Edinburgh's request privacy notice, which describes how we use the 
information you have supplied about yourself and your request, is published on the 
University website. 
Yours sincerely  
Rachel Scott 

 

 
Records Management Section 
 
 
If you require this letter in an alternative format, such as large print or 
a coloured background, please contact the Records Management 
Section on 0131 651 4099 or email xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xx.xx.xx 

 

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