Only a day after revealing a two-year contract to provide a VoIP capable network to Bucher, Willis & Ratliff Corporation, an engineering, planning and architecture firm, AT&T Inc. has announced an optical and voice services contract with Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD), the largest undergraduate institution within the state of Texas. Under the terms of the 10-year contract AT&T (News - Alert) will be the primary optical services provider, delivering OPT-E-MAN service, a fully managed, switched Ethernet network service.

The solution will fulfill DCCCD's need for a high-speed solution with increased bandwidth and high-performance capabilities to ensure consistent access to sensitive applications, such as VoIP and multimegabit broadcast- quality video, and critical data such as student records. Additionally, the solution will support a diverse and resilient wide area network (WAN) that will connect all seven campus locations. The new solution will provide reliable high-speed network access at the district's locations throughout Dallas County, improving service delivery to students while lowering costs. With additional locations taking advantage of the low-cost, high-speed network connectivity, DCCCD will be able to sustain a seamless wide area network.

The WAN will sustain DCCCD's high-volume data traffic via the converged network infrastructure, which aligns with AT&T's convergence strategy. The expanded bandwidth will bear terminal- and Web-based applications such as always-available Internet access, audio- and videoconferencing, streaming audio and video, and voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

"We were in search of a high speed solution that exceeded the bandwidth and performance of our existing network," said Steve Glick, associate district director of Information Technology, Dallas County Community College District. "We believe that AT&T's connectivity performance and networking expertise will help us meet our growing needs."

Just last week, AT&T announced a local services contract from Follett Corporation. Follett is the leading operator of U.S. college bookstores with more than 750 stores across the nation and businesses that reach approximately 60 countries. Specific terms of the contract were not disclosed. AT&T will provide 205 of Follett's bookstores across 19 states with local services, simplifying billing and reducing telecommunications expenses by having a single point of contact for bookstores that have AT&T service.

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Cindy Waxer is a Toronto-based freelance journalist specializing in business and technology. She has written for publications including TIME, Fortune Small Business, Business 2.0, Computerworld, Canadian Business, and Workforce Management. To see more of her articles, please visit Cindy Waxer’s columnist page.