BT has won a multi-million pound six-year contract to
provide nationwide broadband connectivity to the NHS in
Scotland.
The national broadband network will enable GPs and other medical
practitioners to transfer clinical data at greater speeds, among
other tasks. The network is expected to cover around 3,000 sites by
2007.
BT previously won a similar broadband connectivity deal in
England, but the supplier has pay out compensation following delays
to the roll out.
As with the English deal, BT will use a variety of broadband
suppliers to deliver faster connectivity, but will be responsible
for integration and service quality.
BT reported its half-year financial results yesterday and said the
number of wholesale broadband connection in the UK had jumped to
6.2m for the six months ending 30 September, an increase of 89%
compared to a year ago.
Broadband, mobility and IT networked services to businesses are
now recorded as “new wave” sales in BT’s accounts. The value of
these increased by 43% compared to a year ago.
Total group sales reached £9.6bn, an increase of 5% and profit
before tax was up 3% to 1.1bn before some items were taken into
consideration.