O2 might be an ‘also ran’ in the enterprise services world to date, but in being named a supplier on the Crown Commercial Service’s (CCS) new Network Services 2 framework, it is taking a step in the right direction.

As the Government agency tasked with improving government commercial and procurement activity, gaining recognition from the CCS is a notable win for O2. The Network Services 2 framework is effectively the list of suppliers public sector bodies and organizations can work with for telco services such as networks, voice and data provision, internet access and wifi.

“We know that making services easy to procure is a major priority for our public sector customers – so the news that we have been named as a supplier on the new Network Services 2 framework is a huge milestone for all of us at O2,” said Matthew Spencer, Head of Public Sector Sales at O2. “It means we can offer our entire product range of ICT services to public sector and non-profit organisations.

“Today’s announcement opens the door to all sorts of new projects and better integration for customers. As technology evolves, there is enormous potential for improved connectivity, productivity and savings across the public sector – and O2 is here to work with organisations as a digital partner, helping them reach their connectivity goals, faster.”

Originally formed in 1991 under a different name, the CCS is part of the Cabinet Office and negotiates preferred supplier lists for Government departments, agencies and non-profits. It you aren’t on the list, you will find it almost impossible to do business in the public sector.

The ‘Frameworks’ are effectively pre-negotiated template contracts for public sector organizations to use when engaging with potential suppliers for a variety of different services. In this case its telecommunications, but it could be anything from office supplies to payroll management software.

Within each of the frameworks, there are designated ‘Lots’. O2 has been named as a supplier for Lots 1-4 and 6-8, allowing it to offer services such as data access; local connectivity, traditional telephony, inbound telephony, mobile voice and data, paging and alerting and video conferencing. The suppliers for Lots 5, 10 and 13 will be decided in the near future, though we were not able to figure out what these Lots cover.

The supplier lists for Lots 9, 11 and 12 have also been drawn up, though O2 does not feature on these. Services covered here are audio conferencing, radio and surveillance.

At O2, this is a big step forward. The CCS has effectively given the telco its seal of approval, allowing the team to expand in the enterprise services arena.

To date, the enterprise market has been largely dominated by Vodafone and EE. O2 has been operating in the private space for some time, though it has been regularly highlighted by the management team as a significant growth area moving forward. This ambition seems to have been compounded with the looming introduction of 5G.

5G offers the telcos new avenues to work with enterprise customers above and beyond the traditional means of connectivity. With digital transformation a buzzword of yesteryear, enterprise organizations and public sector agencies are increasingly looking to technology to enhance operations. There is an opportunity for the telcos to secure a more valued position in the digital ecosystem, as well as the increased profits, if the proposition is right.

Over the last 12-18 months, O2 has been working alongside a number of the FTSE100 firms to trial usecases ahead of the 5G boom. Although details of the activities are relatively thin, the management team has boasted of its success to date.

Entry onto the preferred suppliers list might seem like little more than a box ticking exercise for some, this is a very important step forward from O2. The inclusion in the framework adds validity and credibility to the O2 enterprise services case, offering a much greater opportunity for the team to carve out market share in a, potentially, very profitable segment of the telco industry.