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Wansbeck District Council Deploys Alcatel's IP Network TMCnet Contributing Editor Alcatel announced Thursday that it was tapped by the Wansbeck District Council in the North East of England to deploy the company's IP network in order to beef up community safety through CCTV surveillance.
Alcatel (News - Alert) joined forces with business partner Rapier Systems to install the system. The service will also include free VoIP-based internal calling for Wansbeck's 500 employees. The converged IP network runs through South East Northumberland and also links DataBanks in Newcastle. The network will be powered by Alcatel's OmniSwitch network infrastructure technology, bundled with the Alcatel's OmniPCX Enterprise IP-PBX (News - Alert) phone system.
"We were impressed by the overall performance of the Alcatel offering, particularly the integration between its voice and data products," said Wansbeck District Council's chief IT officer John Kelly in a statement. "The new solution allows staff all over the district to communicate more effectively with one another, improving both their own productivity and Wansbeck's overall ability to deliver a high standard of service to the community."
The new partnership will also allow neighboring authorities to now have access to a wireless data network through Alcatel's OmniSwitch 6600, 6800 and 7700 data switches. This will re-route Wansbeck's traffic in case there is a network problem.
"More and more organizations are realizing that convergence isn't just about saving money, it's about overhauling and improving internal processes through greater collaboration and increased access to resources," said Graeme Allan, country director for UK and Ireland, Alcatel enterprise activities. "Wansbeck is a good example of a forward-thinking council committed to providing the highest standard of service to its citizens, and the installation serves as an excellent blueprint that other public sector organizations should seek to follow."
Alcatel also announced today that it signed an agreement with ATD Quart Monde, a world anti-poverty organization, and Data Telecom Service (DTS), an Internet service provider, to supply broadband Internet access to the deprived people of Antananarivo in Madagascar.
Under the terms of the agreement, Alcatel will help establish IT discovery and training programs for people between the ages of 16 and 25 years old in very disadvantaged areas.
Alcatel
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Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet and INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit her columnist page.
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