Broadband department seeks IP services for itself

The government department in charge of broadband is seeking networking equipment and conferencing services, according to a request for tender published recently.

The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Category (DBCDE) wants services for the Broadcasting and Digital Switchover office in Sydney, as well as three locations in Canberra and two locations in Melbourne.

It’s “essential” that the tenderer provides an IP-based connection using Session Initial Protocol (SIP) for signalling, DBCDE said. That would replace the department’s existing Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) trunks connecting to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

The department currently has an Alcatel-Lucent OMNI PCX Enterprise IP system, which uses the IP network for signalling and as a media path within the department’s internal network. Connections to the PSTN are provided by ISDN trunks terminated on the Alcatel-Lucent call servers. The Alcatel-Lucent system can support SIP trunks, but DBCDE “does not currently have the appropriate licensing … to support SIP trunks,” the department said.

The DBCDE currently has video conferencing from Polycom using the TDM trunks, but wants to do conferencing over SIP, it said. Also, the department seeks voice line rentals for local, long distance and international calls, supporting services including audio conferencing, 1800 and 1300 call centres, automatic call distribution, cabling and caller ID.

DBCDE wants the provider to administer fixed line carrier services, “including to actively monitor voice line usage patterns and advise,” it said. It should notify the department about “unusual usage patterns,” it said. And the tenderer must provide support and maintenance, it said. Among other things, the tenderer must provide external telephone directories listing and management, DBCDE said.

The contract would have an initial term of three years, but could be extended for two additional one-year terms, the department said. Tenders should be submitted by 27 July, it said. The department aims to commence services 1 September.

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