Pan-European data communications company KPNQwest (NASDAQ & ASE: KQIP) announced an agreement Wednesday (March 21) with Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) to launch Managed Exchanged Services across Europe.
The service, which will be delivered over KPNQwest’s Application Infrastructure Provider (AIP) platform, is a first step to distributing Managed Exchange Services and a platform for launching value-added services for mobile telephony and other unified messaging platforms across the KPNQwest pan-European fiber-optic footprint.
The KPNQwest Managed Exchange Services (MES) will initially be fully managed and hosted in the security of the Munich CyberCenter and rolled across Europe, providing customers with one robust network, unrivalled bandwidth for deploying MES solutions and connectivity to 15 countries through the EuroRings network.
The service will also be leveraged and aligned with Qwest’s North American infrastructure to further enhance geographical reach to over 150 U.S. cities, providing seamless transatlantic connectivity and network interoperability. The end product will significantly enhance the service level to European, U.S. and global customers.
“For KPNQwest, this deal is very significant, as it is an important step to fully aligning and leveraging our network and services with Qwest’s North American infrastructure to provide a truly global platform to better service our European and global customers,’ said Rhett Williams, chief marketing officer of KPNQwest. ‘This deal with Microsoft is an invaluable first step to achieving these objectives while furthering our drive to move further up the value chain in the Applications Infrastructure Provider space.”
As another component of the AIP offer, KPNQwest will combine web and application hosting, connectivity and other value-added services to provide a back-office solution for customers. The company is able to leverage its 20,000-kilometer EuroRings network, its datacenters and IP services with Qwest’s North American assets, delivering a suite of next generation applications to service its customers globally.
KPNQwest is a facilities-based, pan-European provider of data-centric services based on Internet Protocol (IP). Its fiber-optic network connects 50 cities throughout Europe and provides a full portfolio of data-centric IP-based services and other advanced telecommunications services. KPNQwest is one of the largest business ISPs in Europe with operations in 15 countries. KPNQwest has twelve CyberCenters and has announced plans to build up to eighteen Mega-CyberCenters across Europe, on its high-capacity fiber-optic network to provide web-hosting, application sharing and telehousing services.
