Pacnet's federal contract renewed

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 06 March 2008 01:58

IT Industry - Deals

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has renewed a contract with Pacnet for the provision of international communications services.

The three-year renewal will see Pacnet continue to deliver connectivity to more than 100 DFAT locations around the world, including embassies, consulates and high commissions.

"We appreciate DFAT's ongoing confidence in Pacnet as we continue to focus on providing industry leading quality, as well as technical and commercial flexibility, in meeting their global communication mandates," said CEO Bill Barney. "We also look forward to extending our service offerings to other government entities in Australia."

Not every government would be happy to allow a foreign company to provide network services for sensitive communications links, but it is established practice in Australia. Last October, former defence minister Brendan Nelson confirmed that a satellite operated by SingTel Optus (a company majority-owned by the Singapore government through Temasek Holdings) was still an important element of the Australian Defence Force's communications capability.