Global VPN facilitates corporate IP telephony transition.

Press Release Summary:



Designed to overcome problems associated with transferring from traditional to IP telephony networks, BT Onevoice allows customers to use single supplier with one contract and one bill. Organizations can move to IP telephony at their own pace and use existing hardware until it becomes obsolete. Able to connect to over 240 fixed, mobile, and satellite destinations worldwide, service also supports BT Corporate Fusion and Managed LAN offerings.



Original Press Release:



New BT Service Removes Headaches Involved with Moving to IP Telephony



BT Onevoice wins Frost & Sullivan award and is launched with first key customers

NEW YORK, March 13 -- BT today launches a service to overcome the technical and financial headaches of moving from traditional to 'new wave' voice telephony. Industry analyst house Frost & Sullivan has already recognized the impact BT Onevoice could have by awarding BT its Business Development Strategy Leadership Award.

Organizations that move to an IP telephony network do so at differing paces. Some choose to adopt the technology, step by step, across the whole business. Others deploy only at specific sites. For every one of these companies there is a transition phase, during which their voice infrastructure combines a traditional telephone network with an IP network. However, combining two infrastructures in this way can cause significant problems. BT Onevoice has been designed to remove these.

o Simplicity: BT Onevoice allows customers to use a single supplier, with one contract and one bill, rather than using one for their IP telephony system and another for their traditional legacy system.
o Flexibility: Organizations are able to move to IP telephony at a pace that suits them. This also means that existing hardware can be used until it becomes obsolete, ensuring maximum return on investment.
o Future-proof: BT Onevoice fully supports BT's latest developments like BT Corporate Fusion and Managed LAN.

Tom Craig, President, IP Networking, BT Global Services, said: "Businesses see the benefits of IP telephony, but they also perceive difficulties. What if they don't have the investment to move their telephone infrastructure to IP telephony in one go? If their telephone infrastructure is part TDM, part IP, why should they have to put up with the hassle of two bills, two sets of SLAs, two different contracts? BT Onevoice addresses each of these issues and takes the fear out of moving towards new wave services."

BT Onevoice Global VPN is available globally and being launched with key international customers.

BT Onevoice Global VPN offers a number of features for its customers:

o A converged VPN including features such as single pricing, one number scheme and single contract for traditional and new wave voice connecting sites in 54 countries
o Global reach through the ability to connect to over 240 fixed, mobile and satellite destinations around the world
o Simplified access to BT's audioconferencing service through BT Onevoice Conferencing
o Onevoice Mobile Access, which gives mobile users the option to save costs by running International Direct Dial (IDD) and Roaming calls over BT's international voice network, will launch later in 2007.

About BT

BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in 170 countries. Its principal activities include networked IT services, local, national and international telecommunications services, and higher-value broadband and internet products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.

In the year ended 31 March 2006, BT Group plc's revenue was 19,514 million pounds sterling with profit before taxation of 2,040 million pounds.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York. For more information, visit http://www.bt.com/aboutbt

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CONTACT: Diane Noe, +1-703-755-6215

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