The $7 billion joint venture that brought together AT&T. Corp. and British Telecom plans to unleash its expanded
portfolio of Internet protocol-based and wireless services for global
business and wholesale customers this month.
Concert, the corporate offspring of
AT&T and BT
, plans to launch the new
services with a with a multi-million dollar advertising and direct marketing
campaign in August.
With the launch of Concert’s expanded service portfolio, AT&T and BT will
make good on their goal to provide a broad range of global communications
that migrates customers networks into an IP-based environment. The move to
standardize global communication networks allows Concert to serve up
integrated services worldwide.
Concert continues to develop its own global IP platform to deepen its
in-country coverage and capabilities through the IP networks of its
partners. More than 80 percent of the traffic carried on Concert’s existing
data networks is IP-based, a trend that is symptomatic of the industry’s
explosive growth, which is based on transforming native communication
systems into single standardized network.
Concert plans to offer the new services to its 270 multinational
customers through its 2,000-plus dedicated sales force, and to its targeted
30,000 business customer base through its global network of distributors.
BT Ignite is a division of the European communications giant tasked with
developing a data-centric broadband IP business focused on corporate and
wholesale markets.
Alfred Mockett, BT Ignite chief executive officer, said the firm has made
tremendous progress on aligning Concert’s portfolio with BT’s domestic
European services.
“Already we have alignment across the traditional data services, such as
frame relay and ATM,” Mockett said. “Since Concert’s launch earlier this
year, have combined our IP/VPN development programs to ensure seamless
global-domestic services can be provided to our European customer base.”
Rick Roscitt, AT&T Business Services president said working with global
distributors would widen Concert’s target market beyond traditional carriers.
“Concert’s new portfolio proves to global clients that, together, AT&T, BT
and Concert offer the industry’s richest set of advanced global solutions,”
Roscitt said.
Through its global network of distributors, Concert is capable of providing
trans-border services targeted toward small and medium-size international
companies. According to AT&T, high-tech start-ups and other businesses
whose operations and services are increasingly web-centric are driving
explosive growth in this sector.
Concert has already signed contracts for services to one of the U.K.’s
largest financial institutions, Barclays
Bank , Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.
, Texaco Inc.
, and Acer Inc., among others.
David Dorman, Concert chief executive officer said it’s a company on the move.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with Concert’s progress to date in delivering
global solutions that are unprecedented in global scale, scope and
quality,” Dorman said.
Features of the enhanced Concert IP services include a range of
communications solutions which can be customized for large multinational
corporations that manage their own networks.
Virtual private network services are included in the service rollout that
merges voice, data and multimedia applications in intranet and extranet
environments. The suite includes a solution that combines data transport,
Internet access and voice over IP cap
abilities.
Concert is introducing a core of IP applications to fit e-commerce
functions into global hosting, virtual ISP services, and web-enabled call
centers. In order to deliver the applications, Concert is striking
strategic partnerships with providers like CommerceOne, Staffware plc, and others while leveraging its combined $2 billion investment with AT&T and BT.
Concert is putting the money to work building a network of 44 Internet data
centers in 16 countries.
The global venture has set its sights on tapping into the wireless
revolution in markets underserved by the Internet service explosion.
Concert plans to develop its global wireless network services for carriers
and mobile operators so they can resell wireless voice and data global
connectivity directly to customers.
Concert’s wireless services are set to feature AT&T’s PocketNet technology,
which is designed to permit data transport over nearly any type of wireless
device.
Concert is currently piecing together its wholesale service portfolio of
fixed and wireless access for carriers, ISPs and other new players seeking
to deploy IP-based voice, data and broadband services to customers.
The joint venture’s network is built on the combined assets of AT&T, BT’s
and Concert’s international infrastructure. The network has more than 6,000
nodes and 200,000 private line circuits. Concert also has an ownership
interest in more than 300,000 miles of undersea fiber-optic cable.
While continuing to carve out its niche in the global market, Concert is
moving toward full integration and expansion of its high-speed IP backbone
network. Currently the backbone is capable of transporting data at 2.5
gigabits per second through its points of presence in the United States and Europe. Concert’s frame relay network serves every major city in the
U.S. and the United Kingdom.
