The ARM (Army of the Republic of Macedonia) and the Ministry of Defense will be equipped with 2,000 new landline phones from the American manufacturer, Cisco Systems. Among these, 200 telephones will facilitate video-audio connections, while the remaining 1,800 will serve as classic fixed telephones for voice communication. The comprehensive procurement, inclusive of all central units and additional components, amounts to a total value of 1.5 million euros, VAT included.

The Macedonian Ministry of Defense will acquire 2,000 landline phones, allocating over 500,000 euros from the state budget. This procurement resulted from a successful tender won by Skopje-based company ‘Telelink Business Services,’ entrusted with the acquisition, installation, and commissioning of a new central office serving the needs of the Ministry of Defense and the ARM, as reported by Factor. The equipment purchase agreement includes licensed video/audio telephone exchanges, conference systems, media gateway systems, personal video conference devices, telephones, bluetooth headsets, and video-audio telephone devices.

The acquisition for the ARM’s requirements involves a segment of the new telephone equipment designated for a protected telephone network, while another segment caters to an unclassified telephone network.

The total value of the telephone exchanges procured for the Army and the Ministry of Defense surpasses 1.5 million euros, VAT inclusive, and features equipment exclusively sourced from the globally recognized manufacturer, the American corporation ‘Cisco Systems.’ This compliance is crucial as Macedonia, being a part of NATO, necessitates adherence to the organization’s security standards for departmental equipment.

Among the ‘Cisco’ phones, the largest component in this acquisition, a subset supports video and audio connections, while others facilitate solely audio connections. The procurement comprises 2,000 telephone sets designated for the Ministry and the Army.

Of these, 200 phones are equipped with video and audio capabilities, valued at a total of 100,000 euros. The remaining 1,800 phones serve as audio-only landlines, with a total value of 413,000 euros.”