BT scores £100m European Parliament deal

BT has begun supplying €120m worth of networked IT kit, software and services to the European Parliament under a five-year agreement, the company said on Tuesday.

The deal, worth £100m at current exchange rates, involves two framework contracts that have seen BT Global Services take over the provision of IP telephony, unified communications, videoconferencing, telepresence, security and internet access services at the parliament's Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg sites.

The contracts "also cover the supply of network equipment and applications, including intelligent switches, routers and broadband multiplexers," BT said in a statement, adding that the company is also now the parliament's sole supplier for systems integration, maintenance, training and reporting.

BT told ZDNet UK that the contracts began four weeks ago, despite their announcement on Tuesday.

The company, which already provides WAN and internet access services to some EU institutions, took over the new contracts from NTT-owned Dimension Data.

"I am extremely proud to announce these large government sector contracts. Our extensive portfolio of services and our professional services capabilities were instrumental in winning these deals," BT Global Services EMEA chief Luis Alvarez said.

"I want to thank the European Parliament for the trust they put into BT, and I look forward to delivering services of the highest possible quality to this forward looking institution," Alvarez added.