Cisco, Telstra partner on indigenous education project

Peter Dinham
Monday, 30 March 2009 18:11

Business IT - Technology

Cisco and Telstra have come together to help develop education and Internet-based communication in northern Australia by deploying a wireless broadband network and Cisco Unified Communications at an indigenous school in far north Queensland.

Announcing the project today, Cisco and Telstra said the aim of the deployment is to enable the network to become the platform for education at the Djarragun College in Cape York and to create linkages for students where there has been only basic phone connectivity.

The two companies said that, beginning in the first term of 2009, they have committed significant technical, financial and human resources to the network at Djarragun College, an independent primary and secondary school in Gordonvale, 20 kilometres south of Cairns, and its sister campus at Wangetti, about 100 kilometres away.
 
The schools cater to about 700 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and Cisco’s VP Australia and New Zealand, Les Williamson, says the network will connect the two campuses, providing a virtual learning environment that will enable collaboration and the sharing of information by the school community.

“This will support better educational outcomes for students and prepare them for the world of work. The network will also help reduce the need for staff to travel between the two facilities.”

Within each campus, Cisco and Telstra will install 50 Cisco Unified IP Phones. The Cisco Unified Communications network will help reduce the cost of communications and also allow improved management and technical support from Telstra and Cisco.
 
Both companies say the network will also serve as the platform for educational innovation at the campuses, including the use of Cisco WebEx, a system of Internet-based real-time video and collaboration applications. The provision of these technologies will allow students and staff to connect with other students and teachers in Australia and around the world.
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