IBM today announced it has been awarded a services contract by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training to implement wireless connectivity across 463 secondary schools under the Australian Federal Government's Digital Education Revolution initiative.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO )

Under the contract, valued at AU$70m, IBM will roll out secure, scalable wireless connectivity at public secondary and central schools, providing more than 200,000 students and around 25,000 teachers with enhanced teaching and learning opportunities.

The solution will connect wireless enabled notebooks via a centrally managed network, providing students with increased access to information and opportunities for collaboration, and teachers with the tools they need to deliver a world-class education.

The New South Wales Minister for Education and Training, Verity Firth, said the network, to be delivered over the next 12 months, will support access to learning resources, school resources and the internet.

"The way kids learn is going to be transformed ... we are not tying students to their desks -- learning activities using online resources including the internet can take place in classrooms or the library," said Ms. Firth.

In addition to the design and build of an Aruba-based wireless solution that leverages the Department's existing investment, IBM will draw on its experience in large-scale wireless implementations to provide the Department with vital project management, network configuration and roll-out expertise, enabling most secondary schools to take advantage of the new technology before the end of the year.

To achieve this, implementation teams will be set up across regional and metropolitan New South Wales creating approximately 100 contractor roles during the course of the network deployment. Approximately two-thirds of these implementation teams will operate outside of Sydney, and will comprise locally sourced skills wherever possible.

IBM will also work hand in hand with equipment vendors to provide the Department with a single point of contact and seamless implementation, minimising risk and enabling aggressive timeframes to be met.

Steve Bond, IBM Australia & New Zealand General Manager for Public Sector, said IBM's expertise in robust wireless network implementations and large-scale project delivery would help to ensure students and teachers were able to benefit from a leading-edge network technology with minimal disruption to everyday learning.

"As an organisation committed to smarter education, IBM is delighted to support the Department in rolling out this vital infrastructure program, which will not only lead to improved learning outcomes in our schools, but a more innovative and collaborative workforce for the future," said Mr. Bond.

Last month, IBM launched its 'Smarter Planet' vision to create a sustainable economic, social and environmental future for Australia. At a briefing attended by media, analysts and industry representatives, IBM urged business and government to take advantage of latent technologies and the current focus on infrastructure to build smarter, more intelligent systems for managing interactions between people, organisations, and natural and man-made systems.

The contract was signed in April 2009.

For more information about NSW Department of Education & Training, visit www.det.nsw.edu.au.

  For more information on IBM, visit www.ibm.com.


  Contacts

  Matt Mollett
  IBM Media Relations
  0413 420394
  mollett@au1.ibm.com

  Mark Davis
  Media Unit
  NSW Department of Education & Training
  0412 515998
  Mark.davis@det.nsw.edu.au

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: starrr@us.ibm.com

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SOURCE: IBM Corporation