Telstra has partnered with Alcatel to undertake the upgrade, which will include the multi-award winning next-generation voice communications system Alcatel OmniPCX 4400, to significantly increase the telecommunications capabilities and capacity in Parliament House.
Telstra’s National General Manager of Government Sales, Howard Powell, said the solution that Telstra and Alcatel developed for the Department of the Parliamentary Reporting Staff greatly enhances communications services for the Parliament.
This new network will have the potential to bring together the Parliament’ networking and IT systems – with the Internet and integrated voice communications – seamlessly with computer applications, Mr. Powell said.
In addition to providing an extremely advanced telecommunications platform, we will also proved a highly skilled workforce of Telstra technicians – with the support of engineering resources from both Alcatel and us for ongoing maintenance and servicing of the network.
Alcatel CEO, Ross Fowler, said the new network would equip Parliament House with the ability to provide innovative applications including Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) networking, web-based contact center and unified messaging.
Telstra and Alcatel’s solution was selected because of its innovative functionality and reliability, as well as our commitment to providing the best customer services, Mr. Fowler said.
Parliament House is one of Australia’s largest and most complex communications structures. Together with our partner, Telstra, we are committed to ensuring a world class managed voice service, critical to the operations of the Federal Parliament.
The contract includes laying 5,500 lines and supplying system users with Alcatel’s innovative Advanced Reflex handsets. These handsets will provide for unique and user-friendly functionality such as dial-by-name, one number mobility, multi-line groupware and voice guidance functions.
The new voice communications platform is fully compatible with the existing telephone arrangement of Parliament House and will be phased in to minimize disruption to normal operation of the Parliament.
