BT Signs Contracts With 21CN Suppliers

BT says it expects negotiations with the remaining four preferred suppliers to be concluded early this year.

The preferred suppliers all have operations in the UK. Each agreement signed will support employment in the UK among the suppliers selected as well as BT itself.

BT Wholesale Chief Executive Paul Reynolds said: '21CN represents one of the biggest ever investments in the economic infrastructure of the UK by a private company.

'It will provide the basis of the most powerful competitive and productive communications environment in the world. These are exciting times and we are making good progress.

'Six million customer calls have been successfully carried in the latest phase of our 21CN trials and we have more than 2,000 people working on the programme. We have been working closely with the entire telecoms industry to agree the schedule for rollout across the UK.'

BT Group Chief Procurement Officer Meryl Bushell said: 'This has been one of the largest single procurement programmes ever undertaken in the communications industry worldwide.

'In order to achieve world class delivery of the programme, it’s critical that we have the right commercial agreements in place. Negotiations have been long and complex but we are delighted to have reached agreement with these companies'.