OREANDA-NEWS. September 26, 2012. BT today announced it has been awarded Frost & Sullivan’s “2012 European Unified Communications Service Provider of the Year”. This award comes as it announces a major update to BT One, its unified communications portfolio, including new cloud-based services designed to improve management effectiveness and collaboration within and between large organisations.

 The Unified Communications Service Provider of the Year Award is conferred on the unified communications (UC) service provider that has shown exemplary performance in Europe in 2011. The contenders for this award were evaluated based on key criteria including portfolio diversity, regional vision and strategy and key achievements over the year. Based on the views of Frost & Sullivan’s expert analysts and the final decision made by an independent judging panel, BT was selected as the worthy winner of this prestigious award.

 According to Adrian Drozd, Research Director at Frost & Sullivan: “BT Global Services has an end-to-end UC portfolio, including global network infrastructure, professional and managed services and comprehensive conferencing services. It has one of the industry-leading videoconferencing and telepresence offers. BT has pioneered the development of web-hosted video meeting services, launching video telepresence exchanges, and exchange-to-exchange video communication services. The provider’s UC portfolio – now termed ‘BT One’ – has clear linkages to other areas across

 BT’s service areas, setting it apart from many of its competitors. In addition, the company delivers customised solutions for a number of vertical markets, notably Financial Services, Retail and Pharma – such focused services place BT at a strong advantage among companies that are seeking a partner that has proven knowledge and expertise in their specific industry.”

 Neil Sutton, vice president, global portfolio at BT Global Services, said: “We are very proud of this award. It comes as we invest further in our unified communications portfolio. We are working with our partners in Microsoft, Cisco and Avaya to roll out new industry-leading features for BT One, including cloud-based solutions with innovative pricing models. We are bringing high definition video to the desktop, and we are trialling new high definition audio-conferencing technologies with our partners from Dolby Laboratories. All of this comes in response to the requirements put forward by our customers, and will help reinforce our leadership position in the field of unified communications, in Europe and globally.”

 Notes to editors

 BT One Portfolio Update
 The BT One portfolio has been simplified and restructured around 4 key building blocks:
 • BT One Voice brings voice, mobile and data to every desktop in any organisation with a single global network that gives the same reliable service wherever the user is located, with a focus on making things simpler and generate substantial cost savings. One Voice is the first step for companies to bring all communications together with unified communication and collaboration (UCC) services.
 • BT One Enterprise combines BT’s accredited partnerships with Avaya, Cisco and Microsoft with components including core IP telephony, collaboration applications, messaging, high definition video and end user devices - all covered with a comprehensive managed services wrap.
 • BT One Cloud is hosted by BT to make it easy and cost-effective for customers to set up across different sites and different countries, providing per user/per month billing on a wide range of unified communications services.
 • BT One Collaborate delivers audio, video, web conferencing and streaming, as integrated services to support an organisation’s unified communications strategy. One Collaborate helps people collaborate more effectively, to speed up decision-making and reduce travel and associated costs. Ultimately BT transforms how people work together, work with their customers and work with their partners.