Apples set to replace Blackberries as Government reviews IT suppliers
The Australian Government is set to replace Blackberry devices with Apple devices as the panel of suppliers of mobile products and services is retendered in 2014.
The trend is towards Apple devices
The Department of Finance has announced details of the tender, which closes on December 23, for the provision of Government mobile carriage services, end-user devices, hardware services and mobile related services for government agencies.
The contracts are worth an estimated over $46 million over three years.
"Trend analysis indicates the figure may increase in the short term as agencies transition to mobile technologies to improve Australian Public Service productivity and deliver services to citizens," a Government spokesperson said.
"However the spend on mobile technologies may be cost neutral or a reduced cost overall, as spend will likely shift from ‘fixed' technologies to more efficient mobile technologies."
Rodney Gedda, a senior analyst at telecommunications consultancy Telsyte, said iPads and iPhones were likely to replace Blackberry devices, in keeping with the recent overall trend.