Siemens platform at heart of 110,000 government IP rollout

A converged IP telecommunications platform will enable up to 110,000 government workers in the UK to enjoy desktop phone functionality on all kinds of devices, wherever they are.

The platform is the result of a four-year, $80m contract awarded to Global Crossing last month, as reported by silicon.com, with that carrier subcontracting to Siemens Communications.

In a statement today fleshing out what end users will get, Siemens said IP-enabled telephony will be the first step towards fully converged communications using IP-based virtual private network (VPN) technology.

This means, for example, that government workers should be able to make and receive calls in almost the same way using their desktop phone, mobile, home phone or PC, such as a connected laptop, using 'soft phone' software and a headset.

The government's idea is to increase worker productivity. The overall Global Crossing managed-communications contract covers 90 departments and around 550 locations.

Siemens said the next step, full convergence, is about presence-based, real-time communications.