Thousands of deployed personnel who will be away from family and friends this Christmas are to be given an extra special present - one hour’s free talk time.

Operational troops routinely receive 30 minutes of free talk time each week from the Ministry of Defence which can be used to make phone calls. Troops also have access to the Internet and are able to email home.

This year during the festive period, troops will receive an additional 30 minutes from both the MoD and communications company Paradigm, meaning that they will be able to chat , email and message friends and loved ones for an extra hour.

Secretary of State for Defence Bob Ainsworth said:

“We are thrilled that Paradigm is providing these extra minutes this Christmas as I know it will make a difference to those serving away from their families.”

“We take our commitment to the welfare of our troops seriously and believe that it is vital they are able to communicate with family and friends on a regular basis.”

“We have worked hard with Paradigm to provide what the troops ask of us and they are now able to make calls from the front line as well as send emails and chat on MSN.

“We believe that this service is vital in maintaining moral and ensuring that the troops are able to carry out their jobs to the best of their ability.”

Flight Lieutenant Andy Wilson, who is responsible for assisting the delivery of service to troops in Afghanistan, said:

“Christmas can be a difficult time for the troops and their families and we hope that this goes some way in making this separation a little easier.

“This extra hour will allow families to share their news over the festive period, for mother’s and fathers to have that extra bit of time to chat with their children and for the troops to feel as part of the celebrations as possible.”

“Communication is vital to the morale of our personnel and the wellbeing of their loved ones at home, especially around this time of year.

I have served away from home and the knowledge that you are able to call and receive messages from loved ones is a huge reassurance. I hope that this extra time over Christmas will help to bring troops and their families and friends closer together.”

Managing Director of Paradigm, Keith Norton said: “We provide the troops the ability to communicate home even in the most hostile of environments. The WelComE service is supported by our engineers in-theatre and the WelComE Customer Contact Centre back in the UK, who work hard to ensure that deployed personnel remain in contact with their families and friends. Paradigm is proud to support British troops; the WelComE service is key to boosting morale and we are pleased to be able to support this additional free talk time over the festive season."

Talk time is part of WelComE (Welfare Communications Everywhere) project and is just one way that troops can keep in touch with their families and friends whilst they are serving away.