Optus has been named as the last supplier selected to sit on the federal government’s new four-year, whole-of-government telecommunications service panel.
This is in addition to the suppliers who were announced earlier in December, bringing the total number of suppliers on the panel to seven.
As a result, the telco will now sit alongside Nextgen Networks, Sliced Tech, Telstra, Verizon Australia, Macquarie Telecom and TPG Network on the new procurement panel, which comes under the remit of the Department of Finance and replaces the Internet Based Network Connection Services (IBNCS) panel.
The reinstatement of the panel forced previous IBNCS providers Fujitsu, Macquarie Telecom, Nextgen Networks, Optus, Pacnet, Telstra, Verizon and AAPT to reapply for their positions on the replacement panel.
However, the restructure saw only Telstra, Macquarie Telecom, Nextgen Networks and Verizon make the cut.
The final addition of Optus brings the total number of suppliers to seven.
It will be mandatory for government agencies to acquire services spanning network carriage, managed networks, internet connection, and optional satellite services, via the procurement panel.
