The government has announced twelve networking firms to provide the Public Services Network framework alongside BT, Fujistu and Virgin Media.

The PSN has been created in order to combine communication services into a single network, in order to reduce costs and streamline services. The twelve suppliers include several SMEs along with larger industry names in part of the government’s promise to increase the use of SMEs within Whitehall.

The construction of the framework is expected to be worth between £500 million and £3 billion. Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude, said: "We are confident that the PSN programme will substantially reduce the cost of communication services across government."