The Forestry Commission is upgrading its communications network to provide voice over IP (VoIP) to its workforce and enable greener business practices.

The government department originally signed a £14m, seven-year contract with Global Crossing in 2005 to implement a standard, unified voice service to its 3,500 employees at 94 sites.

Services range from wide area networking and broadband to audio and video conferencing, plus satellite and radio communications to lone workers.

Now the Commission is undergoing a phased upgrade to provide VoIP to all sites by the end of this year.

‘VoIP allows us to look across the estate and have one single managed communications infrastructure,’ said Chris Smith, communications contract commercial manager at the Forestry Commission.