Oscar Trimboli Unified Communications DownUnder

Big news for Integ and BroadSoft in Australia

A couple of big announcements in the local market with Integ landing a big fish (well done to Ian and the team) and BroadSoft officially landing a full operation in Sydney

· Integ scores AU$6m DFAT voice deal By Steven Deare, ZDNet Australia May 04, 2007

· BroadSoft opens operations centre in Sydney Sits alongside R&D unit

System integrator Integ Communications will convert the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (DFAT) national and international telephony network to voice over IP in a deal worth more than AU$6 million.

As part of the AU$6,481,120 contract, Integ will first deploy Alcatel-Lucent IP telephony to every DFAT user in Australia. The equipment will replace Ericsson PABX hardware and Telstra's Spectrum virtual PABX service.

Overseas, Alcatel-Lucent IP gear will replace some 100, primarily Mitel-branded PABXs. These provide telephony to around 5,500 extensions in locations such as High Commissions and Embassies.

The agency has 3,400 employees in Australia and abroad.

The move to IP telephony will see DFAT staff able to use unified messaging, PC telephony features and collaborative applications like Web conferencing.

"The solution designed for DFAT is for the deployment and management of a highly secure and mission-critical communications network, initially in Australia and then globally," said Ian Poole, Integ's chief executive officer.

Integ's win could provide more dividends in future as the contract can be used by other government agencies purchasing telecommunications services.

The contract is the second for Integ's parent company, UXC Limited, with DFAT in the last month. DFAT has contracted the company to develop some of its key applications.

Copyright © 2007 CNET Networks, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

BroadSoft opens operations centre in Sydney Sits alongside R&D unit Sandra Rossi 03/05/2007 17:40:53

BroadSoft today opened a new operations centre in Australia to provide technical support and training to Asia Pacific customers.

The VoIP application software provider opened the operations centre in Sydney and comes just six months after the company opened a similar centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The centre sits alongside BroadSoft's local R&D unit.

Vice present of the company's operations, Geoffrey Hicks, said by co-locating the new operations centre with the existing R&D engineering unit and training facility, BroadSoft brings together some of the industry's brightest talent together in one regional site.

"This means the best possible support for APAC customers," he said.

Internode Australia managing director, Simon Hackett, said the new operations centre is evidence of BroadSoft's commitment to the region.

Internode, delivers BroadWorks-based NodePhone2 voice service to business and residential customers across Australia. In Australia, BroadSoft's has numerous telecom customers, including Telstra, AAPT, Commander and iiNet. Only this week BroadSoft appointed Jonathon Reid as head of APAC. Headquartered in China, Reid has more than 15 years of international business development and sales experience.

He was formerly managing director of APAC for Sylantro Systems.

Prior to Sylantro, he led business development initiatives at softswitch provider Syndeo Corporation.

Reid has also undertaken consulting at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). "Growth of the Asian Pacific telecom market is progressing at record rates, and all the carriers want the best hosted VoIP offering, delivered via fixed line, mobile, broadband and fixed-mobile convergence," Reid said. "BroadSoft's BroadWorks VoIP and IMS solutions are well-known in this region."

BroadSoft provides VoIP applications to Korea Telecom, Singtel, Sprint, Telefonica de Espana, Telstra, T-Systems, and Verizon.