BT signs a framework contract for internet access services with the European Commission

BT signs a framework contract for internet access services with the European Commission

BT today announced the signature of an inter-institutional framework contract with the European Commission’s Directorate General Information Technology (DIGIT) for the supply and management of Internet access services. The contract was won following an invitation to tender and covers a minimum term of 4 years, which may be extended to 8 years, with a budget that may go up to 22.5 million euro.

According to the terms of the contract, BT has been entrusted by DIGIT with the supply, implementation and management of a full range of services, called INAS (Internet access & associated services) by DIGIT. These services include, among others, Internet access from at least 17 sites in Europe, wi-fi access, anti-spam filtering, protection against Denial of Service attacks, the registration of domain names and support with distribution of content over the Internet.

In addition to the European Commission, more than ten European Union institutions and organisations, including the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, will receive Internet services from BT through this inter-institutional- framework contract. One example illustrates what is at stake and the importance of the contract: BT’s responsibilities relate, among other things, to a bandwidth for Internet access ranging from 10 MB to 1 GB, throughput rates which can be increased subsequently.

Michel De Coster, CEO BT Benelux says, ‘We are proud to have signed this contract. Particularly since the missions with which we’ve just been entrusted were previously in the hands of the competition. It confirms our commitment to reinforce our presence within the European institutions. INAS follows on another inter-institutional framework contract with a budget of more than 160 million euro, signed at the end of 2004 with DIGIT, relating to the supply of managed communication services over IP, on a worldwide scale’.

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