Improving embassy connectivity in Islamabad

When a new Swedish embassy was due to be built between 2 British compounds, the Foreign Office engaged us to urgently relocate crucial underground cabling connecting the sites.

The Foreign Office commissioned us to design the new cabling system and manage on-the-ground implementation. Working closely with the Foreign Office’s project manager and stakeholders, we redesigned the cabling infrastructure sympathetically to ensure business-as-usual operations would continue.

We also took the opportunity to make improvements, using the latest technology to ensure the best possible connectivity for the new system and to increase its longevity.

All systems running

Our lead secure technical services officer (STSO) in Islamabad implemented the design and oversaw the project.

One critical challenge was ensuring that existing security systems remained operational with minimal disruption. These systems are crucial for the functioning of the British High Commission in Islamabad.

We overcame this by sending out an additional STSO to support business-as-usual activity. This extra resource kept the complex security systems operational, allowing us to dedicate speed, scale and accuracy to the recabling works.

Project success

The highly complex project was completed in February 2020. The cabling was successfully rerouted away from the Swedish plot, while the British compounds remained connected and enjoyed enhanced security.

This was a novel problem needing a collaborative approach for a successful outcome, in a very short space of time. The FCDO Services team provided this which meant British High Commission Islamabad could continue its core business with the least impact.

Service Portfolio Owner, Knowledge and Technology Directorate (KTD), FCDO