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Telstra has been awarded a $41 million contract to provide the NSW Police Force (NSWPF) with fixed voice, mobile and data services.
The three-year deal, which started in June, will see the telecommunications provider also offer data network upgrades.
According to the NSW Police chief information and technology officer (CITO) Gordon Dunsford, the network upgrade is expected to be completed in 10 months and is already underway.
"NSWPF has a heritage but very stable data network, however usage requirements are changing rapidly," Dunsford told ARN. "Within excess of 550 sites and 21,000 + employees this is not an easy evolution.
"To allow us to move forward and utilise new innovations, products and services that are appearing we need the flexibility to complement these services with other market offerings."
Dunsford explained that the strategy is to boost the network with capacity to meet the front line policing requirements.
"In parallel we are working on the new architecture for network (voice, mobile and data) delivery," he explained to ARN. "The next step is to pick proof of concept sites and deploy these new technologies out to ensure they meet our requirements, are supportable and cost effective before a whole of network replacement is put in place."
Telstra was selected for meeting the NSWPF's geography and service needs, while also avoiding a large migration which would have delayed the new network approach.
"This would have brought a large extra cost, complexity and delay to a project that cannot afford any of these," Dunsford explained.
Telstra was also prepared to work as partners to NSWPF and tailor the offering to meet their "rather unique" requirements and drivers.
Dunsford also explained that this is part of a strategic move forward in the delivery of voice and data networks and will lead to other work.
"There is a contract underway within NSWPF to ensure the outcome targets for this contract are met (or exceeded)," he added.
