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Contents

Telecoms Systems

Reference: 25-26428

Date response sent: 19/01/2026

Details of enquiry

  1. What make is your telephone system?
  2. How old is the telephone system you operate?
  3. How many users do you have?
  4. Is your telephone system cloud based or on premise?
  5. Can your switchboard operators transfer external incoming calls to all users across your estate?
  6. How many extensions does your telephone system have?
  7. How much do you spend annually on telecoms?
  8. Do you know how this is split into Voice Telecoms / Data Networking / Mobile Communications / Maintenance?
  9. Which suppliers do you use for Voice / Data / Mobile / Maintenance?
  10. How many analogue lines do you have?
  11. How many ISDN2 Services do you have?
  12. How many ISDN30 Services do you have?
  13. How many mobiles do you have?
  14. Have you done anything about the Analogue Switch Off / Digital Switch On?  If so, what have you done?
  15. What are the contact details for the person who looks after telecoms and the costs associated with these?
  16. How much do you spend annually with Microsoft?
  17. How often do you review licensing costs?

Response sent

  1. What make is your telephone system?

Cisco

  1. How old is the telephone system you operate?

Ten Years Old

  1. How many users do you have?

1,200 extensions

  1. Is your telephone system cloud based or on premise?

This information is withheld, and exemption from disclosure has been engaged under section 31(a) of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Law Enforcement: the prevention or detection of crime, this is a qualified exemption that requires the Trust to carry out the public interest test. We have carried out the public interest test and have set out below the public interest arguments which we have considered:

Arguments in favour of disclosure:

  • Promoting accountability and transparency on how public funds are utilised and spent
  • There is undoubtedly a public interest in how public bodies protect and secure their information assets

Arguments in favour of maintaining the exemption:

  • The Trust has a duty to ensure that its telephony, information systems and assets are kept secure
  • Disclosure of the requested information could prejudice the security of our telephony assets by facilitating criminal criminal activity, in particular cybercrime, especially when combined with information already in the public domain and other sources, including any information that the Trust has previously provided or may be forced to disclose in the future.
  • Disclosure of the requested information could, therefore, increase vulnerability to malicious attack, including the corruption or loss of data, software, hardware or other equipment, which would impact on the Trust’s ability to provide essential services
  • These vulnerabilities could extend to suppliers on whose services the Trust relies.
  • Any compromise to the confidentiality, integrity or availability of our information assets is likely to impact on our operations.
  • Any impact on services could compromise patient safety and wellbeing, and could require substantial resources to resolve and incur significant costs

Balance of Argument

We have concluded that, on balance, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

  1. Can your switchboard operators transfer external incoming calls to all users across your estate?

Yes

  1. How many extensions does your telephone system have?

1,200 extensions

  1. How much do you spend annually on telecoms?

This varies by year, dependent on projects and work being undertaken.

Financial Year 2025/26 to date:  £63,737.86

Financial Year 2024/25               £78,026.45

  1. Do you know how this is split into Voice Telecoms / Data Networking / Mobile Communications / Maintenance?

This is all Voice Telecoms

  1. Which suppliers do you use for Voice / Data / Mobile / Maintenance?

For Voice we use Trustmarque

For Data we use Microsoft public Cloud

For Mobile Phones we use O2 Telefonica.

  1. How many analogue lines do you have?

None

  1. How many ISDN2 Services do you have?

none

  1. How many ISDN30 Services do you have?

none

  1. How many mobiles do you have?

350

  1. Have you done anything about the Analogue Switch Off / Digital Switch On?  If so, what have you done?

Some lines were no longer needed, others were converted into SIPS.

  1. What are the contact details for the person who looks after telecoms and the costs associated with these?

The Procurement Manager, who may be contacted via procurement@tavi-port.nhs.uk

  1. How much do you spend annually with Microsoft?
  2. This data is publicly available on our website within our Trust Contracts Register which may be reached via this link: Contracts register – Tavistock and Portman
  3. How often do you review licensing costs?

Annually

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