EDS chooses partner for £200 million Prison Service Deal

EDS has nominated Symbol Technologies as preferred supplier of wireless technology, as part of a deal worth £200 million to support the UK Prison Service over the next twelve years.

This announcement follows the statement in December 1999 that the Prison Service had awarded EDS as its chosen bidder for the Quantum project to take forward IT-based business change. This partnership will provide a 'launch pad for modernisation of the business processes of the Service and will support the drive by the Prison Service to meet its Key Performance Targets'.

The initial phase of the project will deliver Windows®-based computers and applications, including email, across the Prison Service. Symbol will offer its Spectrum24® wireless LAN infrastructure to cover areas where traditional cabling would be inappropriate.

Michael Wilks, Director - Government and Public Sector - EMEA, Symbol Technologies Limited; "Symbol's wireless local area networking capabilities were a key element of the EDS bid and will help lay the foundations for the future deployment of Voice over IP and mobile computing applications in the Prison Service. With over 137 prison establishments to be covered throughout England and Wales, this project is potentially one of the largest wireless and most exciting network infrastructures in the world."

Carol Wyatt, Director - Civil Government and Healthcare, EDS, said: "The Quantum Project will provide Prison Service staff with access to modern IT facilities which are vital to the running of a modern penal system. The project will also provide a platform for further IT based improvements in the future. Symbol's experience in similar implementations made it the obvious choice as our preferred supplier of Radio Frequency products and services for this contract."