Cable & Wireless wins multi-million National Grid contract

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Cable & Wireless has won a contract with the National Grid to create and provide a dedicated telecoms network to support its “Core Network Infrastructure and Operational Systems,” the company announced today.

The 15 year deal for the Next Generation Operational Telecommunications Network (OpTel NGN), worth £207 million, is made up of two separate contracts; a 15 year £108 million contract supplying and running its optical fibre network and a shorter five year contract, still worth £99 million, to manage the overall telecoms network for the Grid.

Jim Marsh, chief executive officer at 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.”

The OpTel NGN will securely deliver important services across the company using a multi-service platform. The company claims it will “set a standard” to address the high performance telecoms which it believes others will follow.

David Lister, chief information officer for 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.”

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