Thus lands pop pickers' £3m IP contract

Thus has won a £3m contract to supply radio network GWR Group with an IP network that will make the broadcaster the "most technologically advanced in the country," it was announced on Monday.

After a year-long selection process, the radio network, which owns Classic FM and 31 regional stations, has decided to use IP-based Thus on a multiprotocol-level switching platform to multicast.

Multicasting will enable any of the GWR sites to broadcast to other sites and pass on content to fellow sites more cheaply, as well as enabling any of the radio sites to broadcast live at a moment's notice.

In addition to moving tunes and interviews between sites, the IP network deal will also carry everyday applications, such as email, internet and phone. GWR's legacy networks will be consolidated to the single IP one, with the aim of cutting costs and making managing the network easier.

Optimising bandwidth was also high on GWR's agenda. The IP network will enable it to add and disconnect new sites when needed to make the most of the available bandwidth and the MPLS system will prioritise time-sensitive data - ensuring that broadcasts don't suffer because of other traffic on the network.