BT South Africa marked its crystal (15 year) anniversary by announcing aggressive expansion plans for its business over the next two years, targeting a 100% increase in revenue and a doubling of staff numbers over the same period.
BT currently services 400 large corporate customers across South Africa and the region in general.
The company is specifically targeting customers in the finance and banking, mining, and new media and broadcast sectors.
"Telecommunications deregulation and South Africa`s ICT advances are together dramatically changing both the business and technology landscape in the region. These changes mean a major business opportunity for us to offer services that meet the growing needs of international companies based here as well as South African and regional companies building a global base," said Dr. Brian Armstrong, BT`s General Manager for Middle East and Africa.
"BT aims to provide globally-managed WAN and LAN solutions at the top end of the South African and regional market. Our global character is a strong differentiator," says Armstrong. "Through us, our local customers are accessing the full, integrated delivery engine of BT`s global business." BT Global Services serves over 170 countries across the world, and BT South Africa offers its customers access to world-class experience and assets through 30 000 skilled resources worldwide. All services are based on BT`s global 21st Century Network platform, designed to deliver the next generation of converged intelligent communications services.
Many of BT`s large international customers - companies such as Unilever, Reuters, Visa, Barclays, and HP - are present in South Africa and view it as a springboard for their African operations. Home-grown, world-class SA multinationals are also expanding internationally.
"Our time has come in South Africa," continues Brian Armstrong. "A recent global study revealed that 64% of directors of large Western corporations agree that emerging economies like South Africa will 'reshape` the global business landscape. The survey found that business leaders in the US, France, Germany and the UK felt more comfortable doing business in SA than in other BRICS countries. Furthermore, the South African ICT market is fast moving towards meeting infrastructure requirements for some of BT`s most advanced offerings, allowing massive advances in how people and their businesses collaborate."
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BT is one of the world`s leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in 170 countries. Its principal activities include networked IT services; local, national and international telecommunications services; higher-value broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.
In the year ended 31 March 2007, BT Group`s revenue was lb20 223 million with profit before taxation of lb2 484 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 plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.
For more information, visit www.bt.com/aboutbt.
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