WA consumer dept's voice goes 3D

Western Australia's Department of Consumer and Employment Protection (DOCEP) has inked a half a million dollar contract with network solutions provider 3D Networks as the agency looks to develop its telephony infrastructure over the next few years.

DOCEP's mission is "to create an employment and trading environment that protects workers and consumers". The department had some 921 employees as of 30 June this year.

The 3D Networks deal disclosed recently through the state government's contracts reporting system is worth AU$480,000 for a three year period from December this year, and can be potentially extended for another three years.

While a spokesperson for DOCEP could not immediately comment on the contract, 3D Networks' WA state sales manager Chris de Silva told ZDNet Australia the department was an existing customer of his company.

The executive said with the new contract DOCEP was buying support as well as new development services.

"Basically what it is, is it's an extension of maintenance support services over the next number of years, expansion of their existing IPT [Internet Protocol or IP telephony] infrastructure and conversion of their traditional TDM telephony platforms to IP," Da Silva said.

DOCEP uses hardware from networking vendor Nortel.

The department's move comes as public and private sector organisations alike are speedily migrating their systems from traditional telephony to the new world of IP-based solutions. The federal Productivity Commission, ninemsn and Kleenmaid are three recent local examples.