NSW agency broadband push gains momentum

ZDNet Australia understands the agencies' decision to sign up with the network will bring the number of sites connected via high-speed data link from 74 to close to 100.

Foundation agencies participating in the network -- which was switched on in early November by NSW Premier Morris Iemma -- include the NSW Department of Education and Training, NSW Health, NSW Police, the Attorney-General's Department and the Department of Commerce.

Soul (formerly SP Telemedia) built the high-capacity core IP/MPLS network for the project, which is eventually expected to connect up to 3,000 sites in 24 major centres. Sites slated for connection include schools, TAFE colleges, hospitals, courthouses and police stations.

The broadband service also includes 26 Network Access Points (NAPs) -- 24 in regional areas and two in Sydney -- which provide interconnection services to suppliers who deliver local access services to government sites.

The state government is also expecting to shortly sign up the remaining suppliers to its last-mile interconnect (Local Access) and ISP panels for the broadband service. Each panel is presently expected to have three members, with Soul on both, MCI Australia on the ISP panel and NEC on the last-mile access panel.

Suppliers signed up to government panel contracts are generally given preferred status in dealing with agencies in return for selling their products at pre-negotiated prices. The process is designed to streamline the otherwise costly and cumbersome process of going to tender.

ZDNet Australia understands two suppliers -- one for both panels and one for the ISP panel -- are shortly expected to ink their contracts.

However, participation of another preferred supplier -- a reseller of Telstra services -- is believed to be less certain. Sources cited changes to the telecommunications carriers' treatment of third-party resellers under the administration of chief executive Sol Trujillo as a possible reason for the supplier's recent reticence.

Meanwhile, the inking of contracts by members of the NSW government's Linux panel tender is understood to be proceeding slowly, with five -- small to medium players Solutions First, System Integration Services and Starcom joined by heavyweights CSC and Dell -- signing and returning their documents.

Several large players, including IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Dell are yet to officially sign after being named as preliminary panellists by the NSW Minister for Commerce, John Della Bosca, in April last year.