Airbus has secured the Symphonie seven-year contract for the supply of the internet protocol (IP) telephony system to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.
The contract was awarded by the French joint services directorate for defence infrastructure networks and information systems (DIRISI).
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Symphonie is a major part of the Descartes programme designed to upgrade the telecommunication networks of the armed forces.
Under the terms of the contract, Airbus will provide the telephony service to 270,000 users across 1,500 sites in metropolitan France and overseas territories, including French Guiana, the Antilles, Réunion and Mayotte, and French Polynesia as well as abroad in Senegal, Gabon, United Arab Emirates, Chad and Lebanon.
The scope of the project involves an overhaul and deployment of the latest advanced telephony solution for the various organisations at the ministry.
In addition, the Symphonie contract includes the incorporation of new network management centres, cyber security management centres and operational support for seven years.
As part of the project, Airbus intends to call on a network of about 20 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in France to carry out the works, deployment operations and local maintenance.
At the beginning of last year, a group of companies set up by the project leader ENGIE Ineo and co-contractor Airbus secured the Descartes STCA contract to develop the high-availability communication network for control of air operations from the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
