Telecoms company Sure is celebrating winning a valuable contract to supply the government with mobile telephony services.

As the Manx Independent revealed yesterday, a commercial tender process has taken place which saw Sure being awarded ’preferred supplier’ status.

Sure’s chief executive, Mike Phillips, said: ’Sure is delighted to have been awarded preferred supplier status by the Isle of Man Government to provide mobile telephony services, subject to contract, following a competitive tender process.

’The Isle of Man Government is the largest employer in the island and it is a great show of confidence and trust in Sure, our mobile network and the expertise of our local team that we have won this significant piece of business.

’The tender process was robust and involved a detailed examination of our mobile infrastructure and our plans for future investment, which will benefit the island as a whole. The quality and reliability of our mobile network are of a very high standard and we are pleased that the Isle of Man Government has recognised this and have chosen us to support them with its mobile services.

’Sure is celebrating a decade in the Isle of Man this year and we are very proud to be a part of island life. We’ve had a key role in supporting the Isle of Man by significantly investing in, and developing, an advanced digital infrastructure which benefits

businesses and the local community.

’Sure has extensive experience of serving island communities with bespoke communication needs and our strength lies in the sharing of resources, knowledge and expertise across the global group. We have a continuous investment programme in place which demonstrates our long-term commitment to providing the Isle of Man with innovative telecommunications products and services in line with the government’s Vision 2020.

’We look forward to further developing our relationship with the Isle of Man Government.’

Current supplier Manx Telecom lost out in the tender process. Its chief executive officer, Gary Lamb, said: ’Naturally, we would have liked to have won the contract to provide mobile services, especially as I believe our bid was strong and commercially competitive, reflecting the fact that our 4G mobile network continues to be the best on-island in terms of coverage and speeds, and benchmarks favourably against UK networks in recent 2017 studies by the consumer body Which?

’We have invested over £10million over the past few years to deliver an exceptional 4G network which is available to 99% of the population. More customers - individuals and businesses - choose Manx Telecom for mobile than any other provider; something which we believe is a reflection of the coverage, quality, locally based customer service and value for money which we offer.

’I’d like to thank everyone here at Manx Telecom who was involved in the bid, who will continue to deliver our track record of high quality products and services for all of our customers island wide.’