BT Ignite Content Hosting announced today (Jan 8) that it has chosen Portal Software Inc.’s (Nasdaq:PRSF) Infranet platform for the rating and billing functionality to support its pan-European content hosting business. Portal’s business strategy for the global IP market builds on experience gained worldwide where Portal’s real-time software is the leading customer management and billing platform for IP-based businesses.
“We are very pleased to be working with BT Ignite Content Hosting,” said Steve Sommer, vice president of marketing and business development at Portal Software. “For BT Ignite Content Hosting to meet the demands of its customers it will need a highly flexible platform that can quickly be adapted to satisfy evolving business requirements. Infranet’s ability to do this will enable BT Ignite Content Hosting to serve its booming customer base more effectively throughout Europe. Additionally BT Ignite Content Hosting will be able to provide virtual Internet services via Infranet’s unique `branding’ capabilities, a business model that is increasingly important.”
BT Ignite Content Hosting is the hosting arm of BT’s international broadband and Internet Protocol (IP) data and solutions business. BT Ignite provides a complete communications portfolio to corporate and wholesale customers anywhere in the world and has twice the broadband reach in Europe of any competitor. BT Ignite Content Hosting has an extensive network of Internet data centers and with further expansion planned it is fast becoming a leading player in the web-hosting marketplace.
“This deal moves BT Ignite Content Hosting one step nearer to realizing its goal of becoming a leader in the e-commerce and Internet market with its partners,” said Len Tyson, VP strategy and business development at BT Ignite Content Hosting. “BT Ignite Content Hosting offers customers world-class web hosting, content delivery and applications management, which are enhanced by partnering with best of breed vendors, such as Portal.”
BT’s broadband and Internet Protocol (IP) data and solutions business has been created to provide a complete communications portfolio to corporate and wholesale customers in all major cities throughout the world. It is committed to delivering the entire IP value chain — from core networks and Internet connectivity through to e-commerce consultancy and solutions with a unique blend of content hosting, application service provision, systems integration and outsourcing capabilities.
BT Ignite is already outstripping its nearest competitors in terms of traditional measures of route kilometers, number of hosting centers, local sales and service support teams and depth of country coverage. In Europe it already has twice the broadband reach of its competitors and will be able to deliver its portfolio to over 250 European cities over its own networks by the end of 2001 and to all the world’s commercial centers through BT’s partners, alliance members and subsidiaries.
