Britain’s BT Group has landed a US$220m (about R1,8bn) global managed networked IT services contract from resources giant Anglo American. The contract covers all of Anglo American’s networking requirements at several hundred locations. The contract term is five years.

BT will deploy its BT Connect portfolio of networking solutions at Anglo American operations in 15 countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe, including locations in remote mining areas. These will be provided using a number of technologies, such as Ethernet, satellite and microwave access.

The contract includes global Internet access with a secure remote access solution for mobile workers. BT will also provide a converged communications platform, pooling all Anglo American voice services onto a single platform. Video conferencing and Web conferencing products will also be provided to 130 sites, with six “telepresence” products at four major sites.