BT Wins VOICE II Tender to Serve Major European Institutions

By Peter Bernstein
Senior Editor

There are a few points to be made about the announcement that BT (News - Alert) has won a new contract with the European Commission (EC) to deliver voice services across 21 major European institutions, agencies and bodies including the EC itself, the European Council and the European Defence Agency. The framework contract is for up to seven years and is worth over €15 million ($18.4 million). This is the second European Commission framework contract awarded to BT in 2015. Under the new deal BT will provide fixed line voice services at sites in Belgium, Luxembourg and Strasbourg using the BT One Voice portfolio.

The first thing of note is that while the sum of the contract may not be large, the fact that the EC is relying on BT, given the number of pan-European service providers who would be delighted to have such a prestigious contract, is certainly a feather in BT’s cap. 

From a technology standpoint, the fact that this was an award for fixed voice services not only underscores that voice remains important, but also points to the fact that this is as much about unified communications (UC) and collaboration as it is about just plain old voice. The new solution being used for the contract is based on BT One Voice SIP. This is a capability that enables customers to consolidate their communications infrastructure and ultimately to leverage SIP for the full suite of UC functionality such as presence, instant messaging and real-time video.

Corrado Sciolla, President Europe and Global Telecom Markets, BT Global Services (News - Alert), said: “We are very proud of our relationship with the EU institutions, where we provide a wide range of networked IT services. Today’s contract aims at improving fixed line communications within those institutions. Voice services might sound old fashioned, but they are absolutely critical to everyone. By modernising the technology, we enable the EU to manage its communications infrastructure much more effectively, combine voice with other media streams and achieve cost-savings. We are looking forward to again putting our global expertise at the service of the EU, its institutions and its citizens.”

As mentioned, this is the second win for BT with the EC and a continuation of the company providing services to the European Union for the past decade.  Back in March, BT signed a deal with the EC estimated at €55.7 million ($60.6 million over five years. That contract included the delivery of dedicated Internet access to major European institutions, agencies and bodies across the 28 member states.

Voice is alive and well and SIP is enabling these premier customers to enjoy all of the benefits of UC which really have become mission critical in terms of these institutions having their members be more operationally efficient, responsive and effective.