Telefónica UK has won a place on the Government Procurement Service’s (GPS) Telephony Service Framework.

Following a rigorous eight-month procurement process, Telefónica UK will now supply services to public sector organisations to move them from legacy communications services to improved digital systems. Services delivered on the framework include voice calls, internet, broadband and data access.

With public sector organisations from Reading Borough Council to South London and Maudsley NHS Trust already  working with Telefónica UK to transform the way they deliver services, its place on the Telephony Service Framework will allow public sector departments to join up their communications, and start planning and budgeting for future provisioning of digital services.

Telefónica UK believes the Telephony Service Framework provides government bodies with greater choice to procure the most effective and efficient services for them. Savings are delivered as organisations are able to choose modular services from a centralised electronic catalogue.  As a result the procurement process is significantly less complex, and organisations can be assured the work they receive will be of a high standard at a pre-agreed cost.

In addition, the framework allows Telefonica to support clients in their transition to accreditation for the government national ICT Strategy, the Public Services Network (PSN). By deploying services that can be upgraded rather than replaced and creating a roadmap for migration from traditional telephony technology, Telefónica are offering a stepping stone to clients that are currently operating a blend of legacy and PSN-style services, looking to move to a unified, accredited solution. The aims of the PSN are to transform the provision of communications services for public sector organisations by combining the best of UK technology providers to maximise efficiencies and deliver better value for money when it comes to investment in technology services. By working with Telefónica UK, public sector departments can draw from its digital heartland and move away from the incumbents and legacy IT that prevent them from accessing innovation.

With The O2 Local Government Digital fund recently launching in Glasgow, London and Birmingham, Telefónica UK is already offering local authorities the opportunity to rethink their ICT strategy, and believe that telephony systems are a crucial foundation for a digital public sector.

Billy Darcy, managing director of public sector business at O2 said:

“The Government is increasingly talking about ‘digital Britain’, but we are still seeing organisations that do not have the infrastructure to support the new and exciting technologies that will transform the public sector. In addition to this, budget cuts are inevitable so many public sector organisations have few options.

“However, this new framework allows these organisations to update their foundational communications systems in a simple and effective way, as well as make cost savings to free up budget to move towards PSN accreditation. We believe we can offer the best products and services to organisations looking for a stepping stone towards a strong infrastructure to support a digital strategy through this framework.”

For more information please visit the O2 website. http://www.o2.co.uk/enterprise

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