A friend of mine at work came across this article in the ottawa business journal:
http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/311916555482103.php Feds to consider VoIP for phone and data communication By Ottawa Business Journal Staff Tue, Mar 8, 2005 8:00 AM EST It just could be the shot in the arm the telecom sector is looking for. The federal government is looking at adapting VoIP---voice over Internet protocol technology---in the public service. In a little-noticed request for information released last month, the Public Works department says it "wishes to inform the telecommunications industry of its intention to develop a manager Internet protocol telephony service." The government plans to implement the service within the next 12 to 36 months, according to a report in the National Post. The new technology would be rolled out initially in the Ottawa area, and would then be extended to federal offices and installations across the country. It could mean hundreds of millions of dollars worth of contracts to telecom equipment and service suppliers, such as Nortel Networks and Cisco Systems. "This could be a bellwether moment for VoIP," Mark Quigley of Yankee Group told the paper. Mr. Quigley says if the government goes ahead with the plan, it would be the largest single telecom procurement in Canadian history. So far, Canada's financial services sector has been the most aggressive in adapting VoIP. Manulife Financial and Bank of Montreal have both announced plans to move into VoIP. Manulife has signed a $140 million deal with Bell Canada, while BMO plans to spend $84 million on the new technology.
