Telstra has signed a $474 million deal with Australia's Department of Human Services to build and manage a new unified communications network.
The new network will connect department and its master programs to enable better service delivery to the public. Under the five-year agreement, a new backbone will be put in place to allow deliver new IP telephony services, IP call center services and video conferencing services to more than 40,000 users.
Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Human Services, said the service delivery reform must "have real meaning for the people of Australia."
“This contract provides better services and greater access for some of our most disadvantaged citizens, as well as providing a boost for Australian industry,” the senator said.
Paul Geason, Group Managing Director, Telstra Enterprise & Government, said Telstra will not only roll out the new network but will also fully manage the entire platform for the department, including the telephony, multi-channel contact centre and video conferencing services.
Telstra hopes the strategy adopted by the Department of Human Services to consolidate disparate networks into a single, fully managed, network platform will become a model for other agencies seeking to realize benefits and at the same time achieve cost savings.
“In the current economic climate, agencies are eager to deliver high value, efficient solutions to address the expectations of the Australian public," Geason said.