LONDON, March 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BT has signed a five-year outsourcing deal with Standard Life, a leading provider of long term savings and investments. The $47 million contract will see BT manage the company's communications infrastructure. This gives Standard Life access to a wide range of professional services and will enhance the overall level of service provided to customers.

The agreement includes the delivery and management of a BT Connect Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN). It will also cover IP Telephony, contact centers, Contract Management, Service Management and the transition of the infrastructure to BT's IP Connect network.

The deal also supports Standard Life's need for a standardized and integrated voice and data platform across its international operations, providing domestic and international network services to the company's 16 UK offices, as well as centers in Boston, Chennai, Dublin, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Hyderabad Aida, Montreal, Paris, Pune and Sydney.

Paul Chong, Standard Life's Group IT and Commercial Director said: "BT understands our infrastructure and has vast experience in delivering complex domestic and international networking and outsourcing services. This network transformation will enable us to provide the highest standards of service to our customers, delivering on our commitment to provide them with a seamless global service." 

Tom Regent, president, BT global banking and financial markets and global sales and marketing, said: "Standard Life needed an outsourcing partner who could give them depth of experience in domestic and international networking services with an extensive global reach. BT Global Services is perfectly placed to deliver this, so we look forward to building a long term strategic relationship with Standard Life, developing capabilities for both their UK and international offices."

BT has 30 years experience working in the financial sector and has the ability to serve customers in 197 countries/territories via its IP Connect VPN service. From the cash machines in a retail branch to the secure messaging services that allow central banks to settle transactions worth billions of dollars every day, BT addresses the communications-related requirements of the financial services sector in breadth and in depth. 

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About BT
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 and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, BT Retail, BT Wholesale and Openreach.

In the year ended 31 March 2011, BT Group's revenue was 20,076m pounds with profit before taxation of 1,717m pounds.

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

For more information, visit www.btplc.com

About Standard Life
Established in 1825, Standard Life is a leading provider of long term savings and investments to around 6 million customers worldwide. Headquartered in Edinburgh, Standard Life has around 9,000 employees internationally. 

The Standard Life group includes savings and investments businesses, which operate across its UK, Canadian and European markets; corporate pensions and benefits businesses in the UK and Canada; Standard Life Investments, a global investment manager, which manages assets of over 150bn pounds globally; and its Chinese and Indian Joint Venture businesses. At the end of September 2011 the Group had total assets under administration of over 191bn pounds.

Standard Life plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and has approximately 1.5 million individual shareholders in over 50 countries around the world. It is also listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, ranking it among the top 10% of sustainable companies in the world. All figures at 30 September 2011.

SOURCE BT