BT to provide communications network to Kinross Gold

British Telecom (B)T has signed a three-year deal with Kinross Gold Corporation, a Canadian-based gold mining company, to provide a communications network connecting sites in the US, Canada, Brazil, Chile, and Spain.

BT Connect services can be delivered in 198 countries and territories, and are constantly improved in terms of coverage, bandwidth, and cost effectiveness. Those services are available in locations from towns and cities to the remotest of locations using a range of technologies from Ethernet over fiber to satellite and 3G. Such network capabilities are of particular interest to companies active in industry sectors such as global mining, oil and gas.

"Since 1993, Kinross has grown through the merger and acquisition of a number of smaller, specialized gold mining interests. This created a challenge in developing and managing a centralized network infrastructure that can grow and house common applications. Kinross chose BT Connect, a suite of network services, to bring together and manage the communications network," the company said in the statement.

" BT presented a solid plan to us that creates robust, flexible, scalable infrastructure that will give us the platform for all our communication applications," said David Cefai, CIO Vice President Information Technology, Kinross Gold Corporation.
"Our experience working with global customers, especially in the mining, oil and gas industry, enables us to bring the best solutions to Kinross," said Bas Burger, President, US and Canada, BT Global Services.

"BT provides customers active in the global mining, oil and gas sector with a diverse range of services, from IP VPN connectivity to corporate and remote mining sites to bespoke solutions for oil platforms and exploration vessels," the company said in its statement.

In addition, BT's solutions address the whole ecosystem of the sector, serving customers upstream and downstream, ranging from companies involved in the exploration, extraction and processing of natural resources to utilities, manufacturers and other large consumers of natural resources.
Krishna Mukherjee