24th Jun 2009 08:00
CAble&WirelEss secures £207m deal TO BECOME PREMIER SUPPLIER FOR national grid
National Grid signs up Cable&Wireless for 15 year, £207 million deal
Cable&Wireless to design, deliver and manage Next Generation Network to support transmission of electricity in UK
24 June 2009: Cable&Wireless Worldwide today announces it has won a 15 year, £207 million deal with National Grid to design, deliver and manage a dedicated Next Generation Operational Telecommunications Network (OpTel NGN) to support National Grid's Core Network Infrastructure and Operational Systems. The safe transmission of electricity in the UK is dependant on these systems.
The deal consists of two separate contracts; a 15-year, £108m contract to provide and operate the optical fibre network which underpins the entire National Grid core operational functions and a 5-year, £99m dedicated contract for a Managed Service for the overall Operational Telecommunications Network infrastructure.
The new dedicated OpTel NGN design enables mission critical services to be delivered securely via an integrated Multi Service Platform. This approach provides a seamless migration path for future technology and service requirements enabling National Grid to move forward at a rate of change that meets its business needs.
The solution will therefore be a key enabler in the next era of power transmission in the UK. The network platform will set a power utility standard which will solve problems associated with the provision of high performance telecommunication services for demanding high voltage (HV) protection, control and other operational applications in a harsh electrical environment - and will set a template for others to follow.
Cable&Wireless will also deliver the required high performance and critical Operational Telecommunication Services to enable the National Grid to operate the UK HV Electricity Grid safely, efficiently and reliably. This includes the provision and governance of a dedicated Network Management Centre on a National Grid Site, specialist engineering and technical support for all National Grid Operational Sites (mostly High Voltage Substations) and an exclusive Major Incident management and priority fault restoration process.
In addition, an enhanced Service Level Agreement and new network and performance management tools, including an automated Configuration Management Data Base (CMDB) will be provided. Given the criticality of the network performance, provisioning and rapid re-routing of primary network configuration will be introduced to preserve service resilience should a network incident occur.
David Lister, CIO, National Grid, said: "Our Operational Telecommunications Network provides mission critical services, so it's absolutely vital that we picked the right strategic supplier that could support us in the transmission of electricity in the UK. Cable&Wireless offered us all the assurances we need in terms of customer service, resilience and security for us to continue to provide the highest standards of service to our customers."
Jim Marsh, Chief Executive Officer, Cable&Wireless Worldwide, said: "This is a fantastic deal for Cable&Wireless as it cements our position as the premier supplier to the Utility industry. Our ability to offer a complete managed NGN service means we now have a strategically important relationship with National Grid to 2026. We look forward to delivering an excellent customer experience to one of the world's largest energy companies and helping provide their business critical communications services."
Contact information
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CABLE & WIRELESS
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Clare Waters
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Director of External Affairs
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+44 (0)20 7315 4088
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Ashley Rayfield
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Director, Investor Relations
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+44 (0)20 7315 4460
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Mat Sheppard
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Manager, Investor Relations
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+44 (0)20 7315 6225
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Lachlan Johnston
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Director of Public Relations
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+44 (0)7800 021 405
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Katie Dove
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Head of UK PR
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+44 (0)7733 392514
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FINSBURY
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Rollo Head
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+44 (0)20 7251 3801
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Notes to editors
About National Grid
National Grid is an international electricity and gas company and one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world. National Grid owns the high-voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales and operates the system across Great Britain: it plays a vital role in delivering gas and electricity to many millions of people across Great Britain and northeastern US in an efficient, reliable and safe manner. National Grid is committed to safeguarding our global environment for future generations and providing its customers with the highest standards of service through investment in networks and through a talented, diverse workforce
For more information visit www.nationalgrid.com
About Cable&Wireless
The Worldwide business (formerly Europe, Asia & US) specialises in offering high quality communications services such as IP, data, voice and hosting to large enterprise, reseller and carrier customers. It operates globally, with core markets in UK, Asia and EMEA, and provides connectivity in 153 countries.
CWI is an owner and operator of leading regional telecoms businesses. Headquartered in London, it operates businesses through four regional operations the Caribbean, Panama, Macau and Monaco & Islands delivering world class service and efficiency. CWI is a full-service telecommunications provider offering mobile, broadband, and domestic and international fixed line services, as well as enterprise and managed service solutions.
For more information about Cable&Wireless, go to http://www.cw.com
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