Network for Learning – Equipment Replacement and Managed Network Upgrade project delivery and SLA

The Challenge

As one of the largest managed broadband internet networks in Aotearoa New Zealand, accounting for nearly 25% of the country’s daytime business internet traffic, N4L’s Managed Network connects more than 2,540 schools and 925,000 students and teachers to faster, safer and more reliable internet.

The Managed Network Upgrade was crucial to ensure continuation of digital learning and allow N4L to manage internet service delivery directly to schools, and therefore deliver services more efficiently.

With Equipment Replacement, many schools were operating on end-of-life network hardware and older wireless equipment that couldn’t reliably support increasing device density, video-based learning and cloud services.

For these projects, N4L needed Teltrac to:

• Upgrade switches and access points across multiple school sites with minimal disruption for students and teachers.
• Deliver a Service Level Agreement (SLA) for firewall issues that reduced outage windows for internet and learning systems.
• Provide seamless collaboration between the installers and N4L engineering for diagnostics, replacement and configuration to maintain consistent security policies and network settings.

The Solution

N4L has established an installer panel to install and replace network switches and Wireless Access Points (WAPs), and provide additional services such as cabling on behalf of N4L. These partners are highly-skilled technology companies who have a proven track record of working successfully with schools and help deliver all N4L projects. Teltrac is proud to be one of these partners appointed to the installer panel and is providing N4L with the following services:

• Equipment Replacement (ER) of wireless access points and network switches.
• ER Burst: fast-tracked ER.
• Service Level Agreements (SLA) for the delivery of firewalls.

Installation

Teltrac focuses on repeatability, speed and alignment with N4L’s operational model. With offices in all major New Zealand cities, Teltrac supplies nationwide smart hands labour services, along with project management, to work with the N4L team to deliver these services. Teltrac prides itself on efficient and effective coordination, flexibility, responsiveness, and our technical capability.

As part of the SLA, Teltrac is also holding local firewall stock, which avoids long lead times to provide to remote or rural schools. This also means many failures can be resolved with a simple hardware swap, rather than prolonged troubleshooting trips.

Teltrac is well placed to deliver these services as its staff are Police-vetted and Ministry of Education-certified. Our technicians also work in close coordination with N4L’s engineering team. N4L’s escalation procedures and remote access for diagnostics results in faster resolution of complex issues and ensures consistency of N4L’s security controls across all sites.

Outcome

N4L’s goal of improved classroom connectivity is now a reality. Upgraded switches and access points deliver stronger Wi‑Fi coverage and higher throughput, supporting digital learning, including video lessons, cloud apps and multiple student devices operating simultaneously. Other benefits include:

• Reduced downtime for learning services: Regional firewall stock and a clear SLA means faster replacements and fewer days without critical internet access or filtered services.
• Consistent security: Pre‑configured firewall images and coordinated troubleshooting preserve N4L security policies and simplify compliance across schools.
• Operational efficiency for IT staff: Pre‑staged hardware, labelled documentation and remote monitoring cuts onsite labour and allows school IT coordinators to focus on pedagogy rather than infrastructure.
• Proactive maintenance: Centralised monitoring and remote firmware management reduces reactive visits and allows N4L to address issues before they impact schools.