BT extends partnership with Glencore to harmonise global communications infrastructure

By Phumeza Tontsi for BT
Johannesburg, 18 Sep 2014

BT today announced a contract with Glencore, one of the world's largest global diversified natural resource companies, to build and manage Glencore's new global core network across Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.

The consolidated infrastructure will allow all employees to work together more effectively in more than 50 countries by improving access to critical business applications for the marketing and mining of natural resources. BT will also provide a range of collaboration services, including voice, audio conferencing and contact centre services.

Cyril Reol, Global Chief Information Officer of Glencore, said: "We operate globally and deploy critical activities in very remote areas. As a result, we need reliable communications to bring our employees together in real-time, from our trading offices to our mining sites. The recent merger of Glencore and Xstrata presented us with considerable challenges, including those related to the standardisation and management of the network infrastructure and the reliable provision of communication services between our employees. We opted for BT because of its global presence and the quality of its services, giving us the ability to be creative and innovative in the way we leverage technology to meet these challenges. The fact that BT has proven to be a reliable and trusted partner over many years reinforces our confidence that we will achieve reliable and successful results from this ambitious project."

Corrado Sciolla, president Europe, BT Global Services, said: "Leveraging our expertise in the energy and resources sector, we have been working with Glencore since 2004, providing the company with global network services, Internet connectivity and a variety of communications services. We are very proud to have been asked to further support Glencore's growth by consolidating its various networks and integrating its communications services so that its global workforce can collaborate more effectively. The consolidated infrastructure will allow Glencore's IT teams to orchestrate technology assets in a way that meets the company's competitive ambitions."

For further information

Enquiries about this news release should be made to the BT Group Newsroom on its 24-hour number: 020 7356 5369. From outside the UK, dial + 44 20 7356 5369. All news releases can be accessed at the BT Web site: http://www.btplc.com/News.

Glencore

Glencore is one of the world's largest global diversified natural resource companies and a major producer and marketer of more than 90 commodities. The group's operations comprise over 150 mining and metallurgical sites, oil production assets and agricultural facilities.

With a strong footprint in both established and emerging regions for natural resources, Glencore's industrial and marketing activities are supported by a global network of more than 90 offices located in over 50 countries.

Glencore's customers are industrial consumers, such as those in the automotive, steel, power generation, oil and food processing industries. It also provides financing, logistics and other services to producers and consumers of commodities. Glencore employs around 200 000 people, including contractors.

For more information, visit www.glencore.com or contact Charles Watenphul (+41 41 709 24 62 or charles.watenphul@glencore.com).

BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in more than 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to its customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband, TV and Internet products and services; and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of five lines of business: BT Global Services, BT Business, BT Consumer, BT Wholesale and Openreach.

For the year ended 31 March 2014, BT Group's reported revenue was lb18.287 million with reported profit before taxation of lb2.312 million.

British Telecommunications (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.

For more information, visit www.btplc.com.

Editorial contacts

BT extends partnership with Glencore to harmonise global communications infrastructure

From trading offices to mining sites, Glencore to benefit from integrated communications solution.