BT signs £100m telecoms deal with European Parliament

Telecoms giant BT has revealed the details of a £100m deal with the European Parliament, where it will provide networked IT and professional services.

The five-year contract will service the European Parliament's three main sites in Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg, where 6,000 EU officials will be using the technology.

The contract was divided into two frameworks, one focusing largely on networking infrastructure (worth approximately £70m) and the other on applications, integration and professional services (£30m).

BT will deliver IP telephony, unified communications, videoconferencing, telepresence, internet, switches and routers for 6,000 EU officials.

BT will also be responsible for all systems integration, maintenance training and reporting.

"Dimension Data had been the previous contract holder for these agreements, but we think that the European Parliament selected us this time because we think what we can offer is economically and technically better," said Luis Alvarez, president EMEA and Latin America, BT Global Services.

"We had a competitive bid and, given the current economic climate in Europe, I think that helped the decision-making process," he added.

"A lot of the IP technology is going to be new for the European Parliament, so that is a big change for them going forward. For example, the IP phones, LAN switches and upgrades are all going to be new.

"There is going to be a big challenge reassuring Parliament that the evolution of this technology is the future, but it's an opportunity to work more closely with them to find out how it can benefit them in their processes," said Alvarez.