ArcelorMittal
chooses BT as provider of global network services
3-year, €20 million contract covers network services in
more than 40 countries
October
10, 2007: BT today announced the signature of a global network services
agreement with ArcelorMittal, the world's number one steel company. The 3-year
contract, worth €20 million, covers wide area network-services in over 40
countries - across more than 700 sites - in West- and Eastern-Europe, the
The
contract gives BT the right for first and last refusal for any additional sites
to be added to the network. It also paves the way for BT and ArcelorMittal to
work together to deliver other networked IT services, such as hosted IP
Telephony (VoIP) and LAN (Local Area Network)
services.
A
highly resilient IP network will connect ArcelorMittal’s sites across the world,
providing the company with the foundations to run its current and future global
information systems. These systems enable ArcelorMittal to optimise its
production capability, for instance by moving work orders more efficiently from
one factory to another elsewhere in the world. It could also enable developments
such as HR information systems, operated out of Shared Service Centers across
the globe.
BT
already takes care of Arcelor’s international backbone and network. “Our
decision was not only based on BT’s high service levels. Investments in our IT
infrastructure are strategic to the business, enabling flexibility and improving
quality at the best cost. BT is a technology partner that goes the extra mile
and comes up with ways how to make best use of our existing infrastructure”,
says Patrick Vandenberghe, VP Information Technology, Group IT
ArcelorMittal.
Michel
De Coster, CEO BT Benelux, added: “We are very pleased that ArcelorMittal has
chosen BT as global partner for WAN-services. We were able to offer a smart
solution, providing high flexibility to change bandwidth or classes of service
to swiftly adapt to changing business and application requirements. This clearly
positioned us ahead of the competition.”
The contract encompasses WAN-services such as MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching), VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal), xDSL (Digital Subscriber Line) and IPsec, a suite of protocols for securing Internet Protocol (IP) communications.
About BT
BT is one of the world’s
leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in 170
countries. Its principal activities include networked IT services; local,
national and international telecommunications services; higher-value broadband
and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and
services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global
Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale. In the year ended March
31, 2007, BT Group plc’s revenue was £20,223 million with profit before taxation
of £2,484 million. British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of BT Group and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of
the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in
About
ArcelorMittal
ArcelorMittal is the
world's number one steel company, with 320,000 employees in more than 60
countries. The company brings together the world's number one and number two
steel companies, Arcelor and Mittal Steel. ArcelorMittal is the
leader in all major global markets, including automotive, construction,
household appliances and packaging, with leading R&D and technology, as well
as sizeable captive supplies of raw materials and outstanding distribution
networks. An industrial presence in 27 European, Asian, African and American
countries exposes the company to all the key steel markets, from emerging to
mature, positions it will be looking to develop in the high-growth Chinese and
Indian markets. ArcelorMittal key pro forma financials for 2006 show
combined revenues of USD 88.6 billions, with a crude steel production of 118
million tonnes, representing around 10 per cent of world steel
output. ArcelorMittal is listed on the stock exchanges of
About BT Telecom India Pvt Ltd
BT Telecom India Pvt. Ltd. is a subsidiary of BT Group plc, a global leader in networked IT services. BT Telecom India Pvt Ltd was established pursuant to a joint venture agreement with Jubilant Enpro Pvt. Ltd., a New Delhi-based company engaged in the businesses of oil and gas, food and services in December, 2006. In February 2007, BT was granted international long distance and national long distance license by the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India. These licenses enable BT to offer services for the first time directly to multi-site corporate customers in India. BT currently employs 20,000 people - directly and indirectly, in India. It has a wide base of customers spanning IT/ITES, retail, media. BT provides its customers v irtual private network-based (VPN) services using technologies such as internet protocol-based multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) and ATM while also addressing the networked IT service needs of BT’s multinational customers.