Primus Telecom signs three-year data network deal with the Australian Red Cross

The Australian Red Cross has signed a three-year deal with Primus Telecom to provide a data network solution to its network of branch offices and other sites across Australia.

Primus has designed a fully managed private IP network (PIPN) which will include a meshed MPLS network core, capable of integrating voice, data and video traffic on a single platform. The PIPN will ensure that, for example, in the event of a natural disaster, the network’s bandwidth can be rapidly increased to support requirements. The solution will support both Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and Border Gateway (BGP) protocols and provides 50 Mbps internet bandwidth with an unlimited data plan.

The agreement was secured following  Primus’s recently announced upgrade and investment in its metro fibre network and will see Primus deliver service to 83 sites, initially, with potential for up to a further 180 sites. Primus anticipates some of these additional sites to come online in 2012 and expects the total deal value to exceed $1 million.

The Australian Red Cross undertook an extensive strategic review of its communications needs as it extended its reach and activities within Australia. The review was designed to upgrade its existing telecommunication and data platforms and ensure that it upgraded to a fully managed and secure solution that would readily scale to meet the increasing demands on its IT solutions.

“We were impressed with Primus’s ability to deliver a technical solution which offered the optimal solution for our current objectives and requirements with the future-proof security of a fully scalable network,” said Warren Don, IT Director, Australian Red Cross.