Telecom finance subsidiary Telecom Rentals has secured a multi-million-dollar contract to supply New Zealand primary and secondary school staff with laptops for the next three years.
The laptops – 45,000 in all, across 2500 schools – will help teachers take advantage of the government’s Ultra Fast Broadband (UFB) network.
Telecom Rentals provides telco and IT asset financing for business customers. The project will be supported by Gen-i, which will deliver a fully managed end-to-end supply model, co-ordinate warranty repairs, and provide a dedicated service desk.
Geoff Hamilton, general manager of Telecom Rentals, says the deal is a reliable and cost-effective way for schools to employ UFB.
"Ultra-fast broadband opens up a new way of learning,” Hamilton says, "where lessons could be streamed online for distance learners and classrooms from opposite sides of the world can share lessons.”
The education sector was last week picked by ICT Minister Amy Adams as one of the key drivers of UFB uptake. Go here to read more.
Update: Telecom has gotten in touch to clarify that Telecom Rentals is not a new supplier of laptops to the All of Government Desktop Supply panel, but has been contracted to act as a distribution agent for the MoE on the TELA (Laptops for Teachers and Principals) scheme.
