Cable & Wireless lands SmithKline Beecham VPN deal

SmithKline Beecham (SKB) will save up to 15 per cent on mobile calls by integrating its mobile users with its fixed voice virtual private network (VPN).

As part of a £4m a year deal, Cable & Wireless (C&W) will supply the pharmaceutical giant's 8,000 IT users, 1,700 of whom are mobile users, with most of their mobile and fixed voice and data services. These users are spread over 15 UK sites and about 500 home-offices.

Using the fixed mobile integration service, SKB's mobile users, who are connected via either Cellnet or Vodafone, will be able to connect directly to the corporate voice/data VPN. Regardless of their location or operator, mobile users can be contacted by dialling the four-digit code for the VPN before the user's extension number.

Claiming that SKB will save an additional 35 per cent by operating its fixed voice network over a VPN, a C&W spokesman said: "The industry is still developing standards and working out what the applications will be for broadband mobile access. But SmithKline has been pushing for these for ages. It knows what it wants to do."

SKB's plans include the integration of internal voicemail with mobile phones and the geographical expansion of mobile coverage.

The deal also includes national and international freephone services and a call management package that provides up-to-date telephony traffic information. An automatic disaster aversion system will automatically reroute international calls back to a call centre in the country of origin if the UK call centre is unable to take a call.