BT Selects Nortel to Help Transform Communications for UK Enterprises
London (ots/PRNewswire)
- Multimedia, Internet Telephony, Instant Messaging and Mobility Required to Take UK Business Into 21st Century
BT and Nortel(x) (NYSE/TSX: NT) have signed a new, three-year partnership agreement to drive the uptake of VoIP, multimedia, instant messaging and mobile communications by UK enterprises of all sizes.
The new agreement aims to enhance the ability of BT's existing and new customers to exploit the opportunities for more easy to use, cost-effective communications made possible by the convergence of multiple voice and data networks into a single, efficient IP-based network. Nortel and BT are developing new solutions based on Nortel's portfolio and BT's networked IT services designed to evolve enterprise communications towards improved fixed-mobile convergence.
"BT's customers are turning to convergence to improve the efficiency and flexibility of their businesses. To support them we must ensure that we have the right partners in place with leading-edge portfolios, the highest levels of commitment and a shared vision," said Andy Green, chief executive officer, BT Global Services. "Through this new agreement with Nortel we will be working closer together than ever to offer our customers fresh solutions and perspectives on how their business can thrive in the digital networked economy."
"People are increasingly using Internet-based video, instant messaging and voice communications at home and on the move," said Mike Zafirovski, president and CEO, Nortel. "It's vital that industry leaders like BT and Nortel demonstrate the benefits that similar capabilities can bring within enterprises and organisations."
The signing of the new agreement between BT and Nortel is part of an extensive review by BT of its vendor partnership strategy. It supplements the companies' existing supplier relationship for voice and data equipment.
BT and Nortel have worked in partnership since 1990, delivering market-leading converged communications solutions to businesses in all sectors and of all sizes across the UK and beyond. BT is Nortel's largest EMEA enterprise partner and one of its three main global partners. BT is fully accredited as a Nortel Gold partner and has over 1,000 Nortel-trained technicians.
BT is the UK market leader for the supply of enterprise telephone systems (PBX/IP PBX), with a 27 per cent share of total extensions for Q1 2006, according to researcher MZA. Nortel is the leading supplier of PBX/IP PBX equipment in the UK market with a 20 per cent share in Q1 2006, according to the same research.
The new relationship adds further momentum to BT's drive to move this extensive installed base of Nortel telephony customers onto converged networks and applications and to win a greater share of the IP communications equipment and services market.
About Nortel
Nortel is a recognised leader in delivering communications capabilities that enhance the human experience, ignite and power global commerce, and secure and protect the world's most critical information. Our next-generation technologies, for both service providers and enterprises, span access and core networks, support multimedia and business-critical applications, and help eliminate today's barriers to efficiency, speed and performance by simplifying networks and connecting people with information. Nortel does business in more than 150 countries. For more information, visit Nortel on the Web at www.nortel.com. For the latest Nortel news, visit www.nortel.com/news.
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Further, actual results or events could differ materially from those contemplated in forward-looking statements as a result of the following (i) risks and uncertainties relating to Nortel's restatements and related matters including: Nortel's most recent restatement and two previous restatements of its financial statements and related events; the negative impact on Nortel and NNL of their most recent restatement and delay in filing their financial statements and related periodic reports; legal judgments, fines, penalties or settlements, or any substantial regulatory fines or other penalties or sanctions, related to the ongoing regulatory and criminal investigations of Nortel in the US and Canada; any significant pending civil litigation actions not encompassed by Nortel's proposed class action settlement; any substantial cash payment and/or significant dilution of Nortel's existing equity positions resulting from the approval of its proposed class action settlement; any unsuccessful remediation of Nortel's material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting resulting in an inability to report Nortel's results of operations and financial condition accurately and in a timely manner; the time required to implement Nortel's remedial measures; Nortel's inability to access, in its current form, its shelf registration filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Nortel's below investment grade credit rating and any further adverse effect on its credit rating due to Nortel's restatements of its financial statements; any adverse affect on Nortel's business and market price of its publicly traded securities arising from continuing negative publicity related to Nortel's restatements; Nortel's potential inability to attract or retain the personnel necessary to achieve its business objectives; any breach by Nortel of the continued listing requirements of the NYSE or TSX causing the NYSE and/or the TSX to commence suspension or delisting procedures; (ii) risks and uncertainties relating to Nortel's business including: yearly and quarterly fluctuations of Nortel's operating results; reduced demand and pricing pressures for its products due to global economic conditions, significant competition, competitive pricing practice, cautious capital spending by customers, increased industry consolidation, rapidly changing technologies, evolving industry standards, frequent new product introductions and short product life cycles, and other trends and industry characteristics affecting the telecommunications industry; the sufficiency of recently announced restructuring actions, including the potential for higher actual costs to be incurred in connection with these restructuring actions compared to the estimated costs of such actions and the ability to achieve the targeted cost savings and reductions of Nortel's unfunded pension liability deficit; any material and adverse affects on Nortel's performance if its expectations regarding market demand for particular products prove to be wrong or because of certain barriers in its efforts to expand internationally; any reduction in Nortel's operating results and any related volatility in the market price of its publicly traded securities arising from any decline in its gross margin, or fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; any negative developments associated with Nortel's supply contract and contract manufacturing agreements including as a result of using a sole supplier for key optical networking solutions components, and any defects or errors in Nortel's current or planned products; any negative impact to Nortel of its failure to achieve its business transformation objectives, including completion of the sale of its UMTS access business to Alcatel-Lucent; additional valuation allowances for all or a portion of its deferred tax assets; Nortel's failure to protect its intellectual property rights, or any adverse judgments or settlements arising out of disputes regarding intellectual property; changes in regulation of the Internet and/or other aspects of the industry; Nortel's failure to successfully operate or integrate its strategic acquisitions, or failure to consummate or succeed with its strategic alliances; any negative effect of Nortel's failure to evolve adequately its financial and managerial control and reporting systems and processes, manage and grow its business, or create an effective risk management strategy; and (iii) risks and uncertainties relating to Nortel's liquidity, financing arrangements and capital including: the impact of Nortel's most recent restatement and two previous restatements of its financial statements; any inability of Nortel to manage cash flow fluctuations to fund working capital requirements or achieve its business objectives in a timely manner or obtain additional sources of funding; high levels of debt, limitations on Nortel capitalising on business opportunities because of support facility covenants, or on obtaining additional secured debt pursuant to the provisions of indentures governing certain of Nortel's public debt issues and the provisions of its support facility; any increase of restricted cash requirements for Nortel if it is unable to secure alternative support for obligations arising from certain normal course business activities, or any inability of Nortel's subsidiaries to provide it with sufficient funding; any negative effect to Nortel of the need to make larger defined benefit plans contributions in the future or exposure to customer credit risks or inability of customers to fulfil payment obligations under customer financing arrangements; any negative impact on Nortel's ability to make future acquisitions, raise capital, issue debt and retain employees arising from stock price volatility and further declines in the market price of Nortel's publicly traded securities, or the share consolidation resulting in a lower total market capitalisation or adverse effect on the liquidity of Nortel's common shares. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other factors, see Nortel's Annual Report on Form 10-K/A, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other securities filings with the SEC. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, Nortel disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
(x) Nortel, the Nortel logo and the Globemark are trademarks of Nortel Networks. Use of the terms "partner" and "partnership" does not imply a legal partnership between Nortel and any other party.
Contact:
For further information: Ben Roome, +44-1628-433113,
benroome@nortel.com