Page 42 - SAMENA Trends - October 2019

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

BT Wins New Contract with Spanish Government to Connect Offices Around
the World

BT announced it is expanding its relationship with Spain’s Central offer during the tender process. Joris van Oers, Managing Director,
Government to support its operations around the world by providing Europe Region, BT, said: “The power of BT’s brand opens doors
communications services in 120 countries. It follows the signing around the world. Governments trust us because we have proven
of a new, three-and-a-half-year agreement valued at €39.97 industry leadership in delivering secure and reliable connectivity
million under which BT will make the government’s international and support for their far-flung operations, ensuring their sensitive
network more powerful and increase the scope of current services operations are protected and connected as well as fully future-
it provides to end-users. BT will draw on its global reach and proofed for the next wave of innovation in software-defined
technical expertise to upgrade the Spanish Central Government’s networking and delivery of digital services.”
global network, which provides resilient connectivity for Spain’s
embassies, consulates and trade offices. It also includes
satellite-based connections to ten scientific research ships in the
Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea as well as a Spanish
polar research station in Antarctica. The upgraded network will
enable deployment of advanced digital solutions, such as virtual
desktops and web-based applications for end-users, including
citizens and Foreign Office staff. With enhanced bandwidth,
security and resilience, it will deliver more productive experiences
for the users by making their IT applications and services easier
to access, better performing and more reliable. BT was selected
to support the international presence of the Spanish Government
because of its global footprint, experience and the quality of its

Cisco Strengthens Partnership with Telenor on
5G in Norway

Earlier this year, Telenor Group and Cisco experience. This helps to ensure HD quality is an important supplier and partner for us,
signed an agreement whereby Cisco will for both 4G and 5G streaming. Since 2010, and will play a key role in the development
help upgrade Telenor Norway’s existing Cisco has provided core technology to also of the Norwegian 5G network.” “5G
mobile core network to also deliver a first Telenor Norway’s 3G and 4G networks. The NSA is an important step on the road
generation 5G network (non-standalone network is constantly being modernized to a fully operational, standalone 5G
mode or NSA). The 5G NSA core network is to stay ahead of the market. In 2018, the network that will allow Telenor to enable
designed to meet the needs of customers companies upgraded Telenor Norway’s real-time applications across verticals
in the mass market, the B2B market, core network to provide Scandinavia’s first such as telemedicine, transportation and
Internet of Things (IoT) and important nationwide network for IoT. “Cisco has commercial/industrial, with low latency,”
critical services throughout 2020. It will extensive experience in delivering core said Jonathan Davidson, senior vice
deliver a significantly larger capacity technology for mobile networks, and we president and general manager, Service
than today’s 4G network. 5G users will are excited to continue our collaboration Provider Business, Cisco. “Our long-
experience faster download speeds and into the 5G era,” said Ruza Sabanovic, chief standing partnership validates our unique
a better overall user experience. The technology officer, Telenor Group. “For ability to provide innovative networking
network’s total capacity will allow the several years we have made each other solutions that scale to support and benefit
core network to neutralize expected traffic better through open and good technical Telenor’s customers in the 5G era.”
peaks (for major sporting events, as an dialogue and strategic cooperation, and
example) without compromising the user we look forward to continuing that. Cisco

42 OCTOBER 2019