LloydsTSB hands "multimillion" pound deal to Synstar

Will link up 750 branches across the UK

LloydsTSB is to replace the network cabling across its 750 branches in the UK in a "multi-million" pound deal with Synstar.

Inconsistency in service delivery across branches after the merger of Lloyds and TSB was one of the key drivers in the bank's decision to deploy the new cabling infrastructure.

Synstar, which beat off competition from four other companies in the competitive tender process, will install an Ortronics Cat6 Structured cabling network, with the first phase of 293 branches due to go live by 12 December this year. The remaining 457 will go live by 31 March 2004.

Paul Strickland, project manager at LloydsTSB, said in a statement that the bank has set tight timescales for the installation and that Synstar's "significant experience" of similar projects with another major high-street bank is key to ensuring minimal disruption to the branches in the run up to the busy Chrismas period.