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The province’s health authority expects to save over $5 million a year on its cellphone bill by moving to a single provider and implementing tighter cost controls.

While officials say the tendered deal with Telus and the stricter usage policy will cut expenditures by over a third, Alberta Health Services still plans to spend $36.5 million on telecommunications over the next five years.

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“We have been able to negotiate better rates for mobile service,” said Penny Rae, AHS’ chief information officer, “and we are also getting a better tool to manage our usage.”

In the wake of a Wildrose freedom of information request this year that revealed monthly bills for AHS employees exceeded $500 on 875 occasions during a recent 18-month period, the authority said it has instituted new policies that have eliminated overages.

Rae said in a prepared answer to Herald questions that the new contract with Telus includes a tool that tracks staff usage and allows managers to ensure employees have plans matching their needs.