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BT has won two service contracts in Norfolk, worth £42m to modernise IT for schools. The firm will provide voice and data services to Norfolk CC, and an Internet service for 450 schools in the county. BT Global Services, as part of a £32.9m five-year deal with the council, will supply a voice and IP telephony service, bringing unified communications to 20,000 workers at 1,000 sites. More than 5,000 council employees will also receive MobileXpress flexible working technologies, enabling staff to work with more freedom from various locations. BT will also provide systems for the council's multimedia contact centre and Nortel voice and data switches, to lower telephony and data costs. Upgraded data networks will support growing demands on key applications, such as e-mail and enterprise resource planning. Tony Williams, Norfolk CC cabinet member for corporate and commercial services, said: ‘By upgrading our voice, data and contact centre technologies, BT is helping us strengthen our ability to provide services via the Web and to support our staff to work in more flexible ways.' The company also won a £7.3m deal to supply and manage the Norfolk Schools Internet Exchange – a secure learning environment for more than 450 schools. The facility gives schoolchildren and teachers access to web browsing, e-mail, video-conferencing and online learning tools via a secure portal. The company will also work with technology supplier Blue Coat Systems to ensure children do not have access to inappropriate material on the Internet. John Stokoe, managing director of public sector BT Global Services UK, said: ‘We are delighted to be providing this service in Norfolk when IT and online services are becoming increasingly-more important in helping students excel in a virtual learning environment.'

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BUSINESS

Norfolk goes Global with £42m BT deal

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