Equant Signs Five-Year, $29 Million IP VPN Contract With Electrolux IT Solutions
Announcement posted by Equant 21 May 2003
IT arm of Sweden-based multinational home appliance leader chooses Equants end-to-end managed service for its global telecommunications needs
Equant (NYSE: ENT) (Euronext Paris: EQU), a recognized industry leader in global data and IP services for multinational businesses, has signed a five-year, $29 million contract renewal to provide Electrolux IT Solutions with a global IP VPN connecting 160 sites in 33 countries.
Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Electrolux IT Solutions is the technology arm of Electrolux Group, the worlds largest producer of powered appliances for kitchen, cleaning and outdoor use. Equants industry-leading IP VPN will handle all the groups network traffic in North America, South America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Electrolux has a particularly high number of network connections in Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In addition, Equant will provide a suite of managed services, including security consultancy, project management and equipment management.
We outsourced the management of our global network to Equant because it is the only international telecommunications provider with the quality of service and support we require globally to run our business, said Paul Rumble, senior vice president, Electrolux IT Solutions.
Our market is extremely customer-focused, and market and customer needs change quickly, he added. We need to reflect this in the way we manage our business. Its important that we outsource areas that are not core to what we do. Our view is that, with Equants expertise, the network will become a source of competitive advantage for the Group.
An Equant customer since 2000, Electrolux joins more than 800 other major multinational companies, with more than 22,000 sites worldwide, that have opted for the cost and performance advantages of Equant IP VPN. Specific benefits include:
Electrolux will have a single, global IP VPN instead of many networks meshed together providing secure, high performance, any-to-any connectivity in a private network environment.
With the ability to prioritize traffic, Electrolux can maximize bandwidth utilization and optimize performance of business-critical applications, including Lotus Notes for e-mail and group-working applications, and various finance and manufacturing applications, such as JD Edwards.
Electrolux can efficiently integrate new services, such as Voice and Video for IP VPN, which it is considering for the future.
As part of the network management, Equant will monitor the network 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and Electrolux executives will have access to service level and real-time reports on network performance via WebVision, Equants Web-based customer service portal.
Howard Ford, president of Markets and Sales, Equant, said: We understand how important it is for a multinational company such as Electrolux to feel confident that its worldwide network is in good hands. Electrolux IT Solutions knows that our global MPLS IP VPN is secure, scaleable and robust enough to support the Groups growth and expansion plans, wherever that may be.
About Equant
Equant (NYSE: ENT) (Euronext Paris: EQU) is a recognized industry leader in global data and IP network and integration services for multinational businesses. The Equant network has unmatched seamless reach, connecting key business centers in 220 countries and territories, with local support in 191 countries. Building on more than 50 years of experience in data communications, Equant serves thousands of the worlds top companies with the industrys most extensive portfolio of managed network services, including the market-leading IP VPN used by 800 global businesses as of May 13, 2003. Equant, a member of the France Telecom Group, was named Best Global Carrier 2002 at the World Communication Awards and consistently leads industry surveys in corporate user satisfaction.
About Electrolux
The Electrolux Group is the worlds largest producer of powered appliances for kitchen, cleaning and outdoor use, such as refrigerators, washing machines, cookers, vacuum cleaners, chainsaws, lawn mowers, and garden tractors. Every year, customers in more than 150 countries buy more than 55 million Electrolux Group products for both consumer and professional use sold under famous brands such as AEG, Electrolux, Zanussi, Frigidaire, Eureka and Husqvarna. In 2002, Electrolux had sales of SEK 133.2 billion and 82,000 employees.
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This release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements related to Equant that involve risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that these statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future results or events. Readers are referred to the documents filed by Equant with the SEC, specifically the most recent filing on Form 20-F, which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including, among other things, risks relating to Equants history of operating losses, the unpredictability of growth in Equants markets, Equants rapid growth, changing technology, uncertain and changing regulatory restrictions, Equants international operations, dependence on suppliers, network security issues, competition, and volatility of Equants stock price and risks relating to the combination with Global One. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to Equant on the date hereof, and Equant assumes no obligation to update such statements.
Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Electrolux IT Solutions is the technology arm of Electrolux Group, the worlds largest producer of powered appliances for kitchen, cleaning and outdoor use. Equants industry-leading IP VPN will handle all the groups network traffic in North America, South America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Electrolux has a particularly high number of network connections in Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In addition, Equant will provide a suite of managed services, including security consultancy, project management and equipment management.
We outsourced the management of our global network to Equant because it is the only international telecommunications provider with the quality of service and support we require globally to run our business, said Paul Rumble, senior vice president, Electrolux IT Solutions.
Our market is extremely customer-focused, and market and customer needs change quickly, he added. We need to reflect this in the way we manage our business. Its important that we outsource areas that are not core to what we do. Our view is that, with Equants expertise, the network will become a source of competitive advantage for the Group.
An Equant customer since 2000, Electrolux joins more than 800 other major multinational companies, with more than 22,000 sites worldwide, that have opted for the cost and performance advantages of Equant IP VPN. Specific benefits include:
Electrolux will have a single, global IP VPN instead of many networks meshed together providing secure, high performance, any-to-any connectivity in a private network environment.
With the ability to prioritize traffic, Electrolux can maximize bandwidth utilization and optimize performance of business-critical applications, including Lotus Notes for e-mail and group-working applications, and various finance and manufacturing applications, such as JD Edwards.
Electrolux can efficiently integrate new services, such as Voice and Video for IP VPN, which it is considering for the future.
As part of the network management, Equant will monitor the network 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and Electrolux executives will have access to service level and real-time reports on network performance via WebVision, Equants Web-based customer service portal.
Howard Ford, president of Markets and Sales, Equant, said: We understand how important it is for a multinational company such as Electrolux to feel confident that its worldwide network is in good hands. Electrolux IT Solutions knows that our global MPLS IP VPN is secure, scaleable and robust enough to support the Groups growth and expansion plans, wherever that may be.
About Equant
Equant (NYSE: ENT) (Euronext Paris: EQU) is a recognized industry leader in global data and IP network and integration services for multinational businesses. The Equant network has unmatched seamless reach, connecting key business centers in 220 countries and territories, with local support in 191 countries. Building on more than 50 years of experience in data communications, Equant serves thousands of the worlds top companies with the industrys most extensive portfolio of managed network services, including the market-leading IP VPN used by 800 global businesses as of May 13, 2003. Equant, a member of the France Telecom Group, was named Best Global Carrier 2002 at the World Communication Awards and consistently leads industry surveys in corporate user satisfaction.
About Electrolux
The Electrolux Group is the worlds largest producer of powered appliances for kitchen, cleaning and outdoor use, such as refrigerators, washing machines, cookers, vacuum cleaners, chainsaws, lawn mowers, and garden tractors. Every year, customers in more than 150 countries buy more than 55 million Electrolux Group products for both consumer and professional use sold under famous brands such as AEG, Electrolux, Zanussi, Frigidaire, Eureka and Husqvarna. In 2002, Electrolux had sales of SEK 133.2 billion and 82,000 employees.
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This release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements related to Equant that involve risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that these statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future results or events. Readers are referred to the documents filed by Equant with the SEC, specifically the most recent filing on Form 20-F, which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including, among other things, risks relating to Equants history of operating losses, the unpredictability of growth in Equants markets, Equants rapid growth, changing technology, uncertain and changing regulatory restrictions, Equants international operations, dependence on suppliers, network security issues, competition, and volatility of Equants stock price and risks relating to the combination with Global One. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to Equant on the date hereof, and Equant assumes no obligation to update such statements.