BT and Avaya seal £25m deal with University of Hull

Telecoms giant's reseller arm set to collaborate with Avaya on multi-million pound digital transformation project at the University

Avaya and BT have bagged a ten-year partnership with the University of Hull, as the education establishment looks to improve staff support and attract top students to its halls.

The first phase of the partnership will be the installation of an Avaya telephony and unified communications solution to replace the university's existing Unify telephony system. It will be implemented by BT in three phases over the next eighteen months.

Avaya's head of sales engineering, Steve Joyner, explained: "Our experience of working with other education providers means that we understand the challenges that Hull University faces as well as the opportunity it had to improve the daily experience of all those involved with it."

John Hemingway, director of ICT at the University of Hull, said: "This partnership represents a step change in our University's telephony service that will open up myriad opportunities to enhance our staff and student experience, while at the same time reducing cost. It is part of a £25m investment over five years that is transforming the provision and use of ICT at our University.

"Throughout the procurement process the Avaya team has shown it really understands what we want to achieve and the solution it has provided aligns closely with our University's long-term goals"

Joyner added: "Modern communication and collaboration technology is a fantastic foundation for digital transformation and when this project is complete Hull will be able to differentiate itself from competitors through the quality of its digital services it offers to staff and students alike."