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Scottish council staff go mobile

Dumfries and Galloway have signed up to mobilise staff using a variety of devices and connectivity in its rural areas.

By Miya Knights, 1 Dec 2008 at 11:08

Dumfries and Galloway Council is equipping its employees with a range of mobile communication devices and 3G connectivity to increase their efficiency and effectiveness.

The Scottish local authority will deploy the mobility systems to more than 2,000 staff to provide two-way communication between workers in remote locations and core corporate networks and applications. The aim is to reduce travel time and costs, allowing for more time to be spent on core activities.

The deal the council has struck with telecoms provider Thus includes BlackBerrys, mobile voice and data and 3G connectivity and is designed to improve customer responsiveness.

The region in the South West of Scotland managed by the council is one of the UK’s most rural, with both the terrain and the disparate and remote location of towns and villages, presenting an operational challenge to council staff and the telecoms provision supporting their fieldwork.

Derek Shaw, head of IT at Dumfries and Galloway Council, explained that the relationship with Thus has grown to cover its mobile requirements as a result of the provider’s management throughout the deployment of the Pathfinder South broadband network.

“Over and above the highly competitive pricing and the quality of the connectivity and devices deployed, this mobile solution from Thus delivers a robust platform to meet the needs of an effective flexible and remote workforce,” he said.

The council’s new workforce mobilisation deal will also provide one contact for its fixed and mobile networks, applications, hardware, support and installation. This will allow the authority to take an integrated approach to mobile job dispatch and service and mobile messaging and vehicle tracking.

“Thus listened to what we wanted and is providing a 21st century communication solution, which will benefit our workforce and, most importantly, one that will improve the quality of services we deliver to the people of Dumfries and Galloway,” added Shaw.

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