Digicel in the Turks & Caicos has been hired to carry out a $1.76 million IT systems upgrade for the islands’ government.The TCI government said the upgrade would save around $62,000 per month, or $3.7 million over the five-year term of the contract, over its current IT expenditure.A spokesman for Digicel Bermuda said the company’s IT offerings fell under its Business Solutions team which operates under the Digicel Business brand.“Locally, Tom O’Neill is the lead for the Bermuda team,” the Digicel spokesman said. “A few Digicel markets have been offering a limited array of ICT solutions for a few years now but the offering has recently expanded since Digicel Group acquired a 51 percent stake in the lead ICT firm, Netxar.”A report yesterday in the Caribbean Journal said the Digicel-ICT agreement provided for the installation of a new network infrastructure which the government said will improve the security and reliability of its current online systems.The contract also provides for new computer equipment and WAN/LAN connectivity.“I am quite enthusiastic about the new agreement with Digicel, as it will revolutionise not only the manner in which civil servants will be able to carry out their duties, but also the way that we communicate both internally and externally, with persons on island and abroad and the manner in which we provide services to the public,” the Journal quoted Deputy Governor Anya Williams as saying.Jay Saunders, managing director of Digicel TCI said: “This forms a part of our commitment to modernise TCIG and to bring much-needed reforms to the way we conduct business.”