Feb 23, 2012 -- The Scottish government has signed a deal with Orange to provide voice, data and mobile broadband services to 10 public sector bodies in the country.

Names of the organisations involved have not been released, but it is understood that they will include central government and higher education bodies. Orange said it is possible that the contract could be extended to include other public service organisations.

The company has created a public sector team to be based at its Greenock call centre as part of the contract. It will be responsible for the management and implementation, as well as monitoring network performance.

According to Orange the deal will help Scotland's public sector save money over four years.

Half of the relevant public authorities will begin to use the service soon, while the remaining organisations will switch over to Orange as legacy contracts end. The full roll out is expected to be completed by mid-2013.

The organisations involved will also be able to use T-Mobile networks under the contract, as Orange and T-Mobile are partners through their Everything Everywhere business.

Kate Jack, head of public sector and health at Orange, said: "We are delighted to be working with the Scottish government. Our main focus is to ensure that all users will benefit from a wide range of mobility products and services, supported by both a high quality of service and network coverage regardless of their location. By being able to utilise both the Orange and T-Mobile networks, we can promise all users that they will be able to access the biggest mobile network in the UK.

"In addition, we understand that creating efficiency savings in the public sector will continue to be under tough scrutiny over the next few years. However, what is clear is that there is the opportunity for the Scottish government to make these changes through shifting the IT which the organisation uses."

Orange would not reveal the value of the contract due to "commercial sensitivity".

Posted by Veronica Silva Cusi, news correspondent
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk