Three Fujitsu Siemens Computers resellers selected as suppliers for NGfL's major £100 million Laptops for Teachers 2002 initiative

- Fujitsu Siemens Computers’ Carrier Grade Technology delivers 99.999 per cent availability for true Business Critical Computing applications

Fujitsu Siemens Computers, the leading European vendor of secure Business Critical Computing and Mobility solutions, has announced that three of its resellers - Links Education, Merseygrid and Teksys - have been selected as suppliers for the National Grid for Learning's major £100 million Laptops for Teachers initiative which runs through 2002-2003 and 2003-2004. Under the scheme, the three resellers will offer solutions for teachers based on Fujitsu Siemens Computers' all-purpose LIFEBOOK C1010 notebook, and the systems will be available to Local Education Authorities (LEAs) at up to £200 less than standard list prices.
 
The Laptops for Teachers initiative will provide teachers with laptop computers to allow for more flexibility and enable use both at home and school. LEAs will purchase the laptops on behalf of their schools, and schools will allocate them to teachers for their individual use. Unlike previous schemes, ownership of the laptops will rest with the schools and teachers will not be required to make a financial contribution.
 
"We're delighted that three of our resellers have been selected as accredited suppliers for this major NGfL initiative, as all three are ideally placed to provide primary and secondary schools and their teachers with both the laptops and additional training and services they need to really make use of their LIFEBOOK notebooks," commented Dave Cullinane, Fujitsu Siemens Computers' Managing Director for the UK and Ireland.

"Earlier this year we announced that we would extend our channel commitment with a drive into the Education sector as part of the continued development of our UK indirect business. Across the UK we're already seeing that the combination of specialist reseller expertise and the quality that comes from working with a major branded vendor such as Fujitsu Siemens Computers can provide schools with the confidence they need to develop their ICT investment.

"We believe that this £100 million Laptops for Teachers initiative will prove a great success, and are pleased that this scheme will now make it even easier for teachers to access the tools that other professionals increasingly take for granted," he continued. "We've already had a lot of success working with our resellers introducing notebooks into schools, and I believe it's an excellent idea for teachers to take advantage of the technology that is already proving so successful for their pupils. We anticipate a strong demand for our LIFEBOOK notebooks as a result."

The three Fujitsu Siemens Computers resellers - Milton Keynes-based Links Education, Liverpool-based Merseygrid and Kidderminster-based Teksys Limited - have been selected along with other vendors to supply notebooks for the Laptop for Teachers initiative. All three worked closely with Fujitsu Siemens Computers to develop propositions for the programme. In addition to LIFEBOOK notebooks, the Fujitsu Siemens Computers resellers will also offer additional services such as demonstrations, on-site support for the first year and Internet support.

The Fujitsu Siemens Computers LIFEBOOK C1010 notebook features a 1.06 GHz Intel Celeron processor, 20 GB hard disk, 256 MB RAM memory, a TFT XGA 14.1" screen, internal floppy disk drive, internal CD drive and full on-board audio. Running on Microsoft Windows 2000/XP, a typical reseller offer also includes Microsoft Office XP Standard with Word 2002, Excel 2002 and Powerpoint 2002 software, and is available at £976.35 + VAT for between one and ten units.

Links Education provides ICT solutions for primary and secondary schools, and focuses on providing customised solutions through a closely co-ordinated nationwide network of agents. The Teksys Education Division provides leading edge ICT solutions for the Education sector, while Merseygrid Limited supports UK primary and secondary schools from its offices in Liverpool's Brunswick Business Park.

About Laptops for Teachers:
In January 2002, Estelle Morris, Secretary of State for Education and Skills, announced £100 million over the next two years to provide teachers with personal access to computers. This represents a doubling of the funds previously announced and is evidence of the Government's ongoing commitment to support teachers in this vital area. This initiative builds on the success of previous initiatives but moves the pace forward significantly. The funding for this initiative will go a long way towards meeting the teachers' demand for personal access to computers.

About Fujitsu Siemens Computers:
Fujitsu Siemens Computers is the leading European computer company, offering unrivalled expertise in enterprise computing solutions with best-in-class Intel- and Unix-based servers, and enterprise storage solutions. The company is also one of the leading providers of professional PCs, notebooks and workstations to business customers, and is Europe's leading supplier of PCs for home users and small offices. Fujitsu Siemens Computers supports customers' growing demands for Business Critical Computing with extremely secure, scalable and always-on server infrastructures for current and future e-business environments, and Mobility solutions that deliver anytime access to Internet services and applications - independent of location and device.

For further information, please visit: www.fujitsu-siemens.com.
 
Emeshe Coop
Marketing Communications Manager
Fujitsu Siemens Computers
Tel: 01344 47 5811
E-mail: emeshe.coop@fujitsu-siemens.com