NHS slashes costs with VoIP upgrade

The NHS could slash costs following an upgrade to its N3 broadband network, part of the National Programme for IT.

Voice over IP (VoIP) has been added to the BT managed infrastructure, allowing free phone calls across the network.

N3 was previously used to speed up the transmitting of clinical data within the NHS but Len Chard, programme director for N3, told silicon.com voice services were always part of the plan.

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The upgrade includes the Local Gateway Service for NHS sites to connect their voice services into the main N3 network and call other sites free of charge.

Chard said the Connecting for Health (CfH) business case for the upgrade suggested NHS organisations could save around £6m per year on internal calls using the network.

Reduced fixed to mobile call-costs will also be available through nationally negotiated rates with O2.

With 70 per cent of NHS call charges coming from landline to mobile calls, CfH conservatively estimated savings made through the lower fixed to mobile costs could total around £15m per year.

A hosted voice service will allow smaller NHS organisations to have their IP telephony hosted by BT - taking away the management of the infrastructure and billing.

NHS organisations will pay an initial set-up fee to use the voice services then pay an ongoing rental charge.

BT has also added a quality of service capability so time sensitive services - such as voice traffic - are prioritised on the network. Chard said: "Being IP and every site being connected enables lots more advantages in terms of productivity and services to be developed."

The VoIP capability has been available since the end of March this year. Thirty-five of the 400 NHS trusts have expressed a firm interest.

Chard explained take up will take some time as organisations will need to see successful implementation of the VoIP services before taking the plunge. "This is a massive undertaking," he said.

The N3 network has been rolled out to virtually all of the 18,000 NHS sites. It went live in December 2006.