FUJITSU/TSTT signs multimillion dollar contract with Trinidad Government

Port-of-Spain, August 2008 — The technological gap for getting Trinidad and Tobago to developed nation status will close considerably upon successful completion of a multi-million dollar government contract awarded jointly to FUJITSU TRANSACTION SOLUTIONS (TRINIDAD) LIMITED and Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT). The contract is for Fujitsu and TSTT to embed state of the art data management tools on an ultra high-speed communications network serving Ministries and state agencies and facilitating unprecedented public access to online government services.

Mervyn Eyre, CEO of Fujitsu (CARIBBEAN) noted that the technology being employed by both companies would give the Government the flexibility to scale and expand as the need arises. “This is an IP-based network, similar to what supports the world wide web. That technology is so universally used that it has been called ‘future-proof’, that is, it is versatile enough to avoid becoming obsolete.”

The network will be built on leading edge technology supplied and supported by a consortium led by TSTT and Fujitsu. “On completion, the consortium would have built ‘GOVNETT’, as it is being called, to be the largest data network in Trinidad and Tobago, surpassing systems used in major corporations in its sophistication and functionality,” said TSTT CEO Roberto Peón.

The creation of “GOVNETT” is in keeping with the Government’s commitment to having 50% of its services accessible on line by 2009, with additional services being continuously added thereafter. “This is a very significant initiative which in addition to giving the public easier access to government services, it will also enable more direct communication with agencies and in so doing make these institutions more accountable,” said Ms. Arlene McComie, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Administration.

This second phase of the project, will add almost 500 metro-Ethernet links - ultra-modern Internet Protocol (IP) based high-speed data communications circuits - for use by government ministries and entities throughout Trinidad and Tobago. This technology will facilitate the delivery of Government and consumer transactions over a secure and efficient island-wide network. This is a key pillar of this country’s move to becoming a knowledge based society.