Eskom re-affirms UUNET SA as its service provider of choice

Eskom recently invited local network service providers to submit competitive tenders for its business. After a month-long analysis process, Eskom re-awarded the contract to UUNET SA, which has worked with the company since 1994.

The initial reason for issuing the tender, was that Eskom wanted to ensure that its business decisions were based on fair business practice, and therefore invited key industry players to submit proposals. The tender process also included engaging auditors to ensure objectivity in the decision-making process.

The contract was once again awarded to UUNET SA, as it has the largest IP backbone in the country and it was the first service provider locally able to provide guaranteed international bandwidth, and therefore could show established competencies in these areas. As Eskom provides internal mail and Internet services to a very large organisation, it needed a network service provider that could provide a redundant network set-up.

As part of the new contract, UUNET SA will be providing Eskom with 4Mb of bandwidth locally and 1Mb of guaranteed international bandwidth. "Besides the initial project requirements, we demonstrated to Eskom that we focus primarily on business requirements and building relationships, and are not concerned with merely gaining market-share," says Lizette Coetzee, key account manager at UUNET SA.