KCOM Regulatory News (KCOM)

13 Jul 2006 14:44

Kingston Communications(Hull)PLC13 July 2006 KCOM's Affiniti wins £20 million contract with Scotland's Fife Council for converged communications network • IP Infrastructure enables 22,000 staff to work anytime, anywhere • Flexible working to result in reduction in Council property and buildings • Implementation goes live 2nd April 2007 13 July, 2006 - Fife Council, Scotland's third largest local authority, hasappointed communications integrator Affiniti to overhaul and manage its entirevoice and data network in a £20 million(1) deal over the next five years. TheCouncil's wholly owned new network goes live on 2nd April 2007. It willstreamline internal communications and improve efficiency within all 17 FifeCouncil Services, resulting in enhanced service delivery to the public. Employing 22,000 staff members and spanning 500 sites, the Council needed toimprove the working environment and provide flexibility. The new convergedcommunications infrastructure will provide instant benefits such as the abilityfor employees to hot-desk. It is also future-proofed so that Fife Council canintegrate new technologies, such as collaborative working, remote working andvideo services. Switching to IP also makes huge financial sense for Fife Council. With thebenefits being split into reduced costs, improved productivity, and improvedcustomer services. The initial cost reductions will result from decreasedphonecall charges combined with reduced property costs, enabled via theconsolidation of some office sites. However, over time this will be eclipsed bythe productivity benefits which will be brought about by the introduction of newmethods of communication. The full version of this release can be seen on Kingston Communications' websiteat www.kcom.com. ENDS Note to editors For further information, please contact: Kingston Communications (HULL) PLCCorporate CommunicationsAnita Pace Tel: 01482 602666 Mobile: 07770 744322 The Maitland ConsultancyColin Browne/Michelle Jeffery Tel: 020 7379 5151 About Kingston Communications Kingston Communications is a leading provider of communications solutions tobusinesses and public sector organisations throughout the UK. The Kingston Group includes Affiniti, the communications integrator created fromthe coming together of Kingston Communications' Business Services division,Omnetica and Technica in 2005. Affiniti provides secure voice, data, video,mobile, wireless and storage solutions that enable businesses to exploit theopportunities that come with converged communications. Kingston's national capabilities have been built on its strong foundationswithin East Yorkshire, where the company has been providing leading edgeservices to residential and business customers for over 100 years and where ithas been a pioneer in the use of ADSL technology. The Kingston Group also includes Eclipse Internet, an established and growingbroadband ISP that delivers internet connectivity and services to businesses andconsumers throughout the UK. -------------------------- (1) Affiniti will partner with Cisco and PC World Business to complete theinstallation. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange