FIVE YEAR CONTRACT WITH DEUTS

RNS Number : 4733I

Vodafone Group Plc

12 March 2010

 



12 March 2010

VODAFONE GLOBAL ENTERPRISE WINS A FIVE YEAR CONTRACT TO PROVIDE DEUTSCHE POST DHL WITH A FULLY MANAGED NETWORK

Vodafone Global Enterprise signs a significant agreement across emerging markets

Vodafone Global Enterprise (VGE), the business in Vodafone that manages the communication needs of its largest Enterprise customers, today announced that it has won the contract to provide Deutsche Post DHL (DPDHL) with a fully managed MPLS* network in 67 countries, connecting over 400 sites across Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. Specifically, Vodafone Global Enterprise will provide DPDHL with an international Wide Area Network (WAN) across the three regions and a domestic WAN in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The solution enables DPDHL to provide improved tracking capabilities, allowing employees quicker and easier access to vital bespoke applications, as well as providing critical connectivity to DPDHL's data centres in Czech Republic and Malaysia.

Vodafone Global Enterprise consultants worked closely with DPDHL to understand its fixed data network requirements for the Express, Global Forwarding & Freight, and Supply Chain Business Units. Based on these requirements, Vodafone Global Enterprise will implement a fully integrated and managed network ensuring efficient and reliable connectivity.

The fully managed MPLS network has been designed to provide DPDHL's key business units with a resilient, agile and flexible telecoms service to support its growth and deliver greater cost efficiencies, while enhancing the user experience. As well as providing enhanced security and improved performance levels for business-critical applications, the solution demonstrates Vodafone's ability to utilise its global capabilities to deliver to specific customer requirements. It also provides DPDHL with a platform on which to build further cost-effective, converged services.

Vodafone Global Enterprise won the contract to provide the fully managed fixed data networks due to its international reach, its expertise in providing telecoms solutions across many countries with diverse operating requirements, and the broadening of its capabilities into the total communications space.

Vodacom's country businesses - Gateway Business Services and Vodacom Business South Africa - have combined with Vodafone Global Enterprise to provide complete connectivity and management between the international networks as well as comprehensive project management support throughout, ensuring that all regions benefit from its global reach and expertise. Gateway Business Services and Vodacom Business South Africa are operating divisions of Vodacom Group Limited, a Vodafone subsidiary.

"With Vodafone's MPLS solution DPDHL has access to streamlined and reliable telecoms services to improve both productivity and performance" says Ralf Weissbeck, Managing Director of IT Services at DPDHL. "Vodafone Global Enterprise will help us to deliver on these points by giving us a fully managed and converged next-generation network solution that greatly enhances service reliability and performance while effectively reducing costs."

"Leading businesses require solutions and services that give them peace of mind both in terms of delivering value as well as ensuring high quality of service," said Vodafone Global Enterprise CEO, Nick Jeffery. "Vodafone Global Enterprise has worked closely with DPDHL to understand their business requirements so that we can offer them a solution that makes it easier and more cost effective to manage their communications in this fast-growing region. By managing their network needs, we enable them to continue to focus squarely on the business they know best." 

Notes to the editor:

Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a mechanism in high-performance telecommunications networks which directs and carries data from one network node to the next. MPLS makes it easy to create "virtual links" between distant nodes. It can encapsulate packets of various network protocols.

MPLS is a highly scalable, protocol agnostic, data-carrying mechanism. In an MPLS network, data packets are assigned labels. Packet-forwarding decisions are made solely on the contents of this label, without the need to examine the packet itself. This allows one to create end-to-end circuits across any type of transport medium, using any protocol. The primary benefit is to eliminate dependence on a particular Data Link Layer technology, such as ATM, frame relay, SONET or Ethernet, and eliminate the need for multiple Layer 2 networks to satisfy different types of traffic. MPLS belongs to the family of packet-switched networks.

Countries included in the agreement:

·     Commonwealth of Independent States / South-East Europe (CIS/SEE) - 10 countries:  Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

·     Middle East, North Africa, Turkey -19 countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, UAE, Yemen

·     Sub-Saharan Africa - 38 countries: Angola, Botswana,  Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Congo DRC, Cote d'lvoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Republic, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Reunion Island, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

About Vodafone Global Enterprise

Vodafone Global Enterprise provides managed communications services to many of the world's leading global companies. It operates across five regions: Northern Europe; Central Europe; Southern Europe; the Americas; Asia Pacific and Africa with teams based in 21 countries across the globe. Vodafone was positioned by Gartner in the leaders' quadrant in their 'Magic Quadrant for Pan-Western European Mobile Service Providers' report 2009, and Vodafone Global Enterprise won the 'Best Mobile Enterprise Service' category at the 2009 Global Mobile Awards at Mobile World Congress.

www.vodafone.com/globalenterprise

For further information please contact:

Vodafone Group Media Relations

Tel: [phone]

Email: [e-mail] 

About Gateway Communications

www.gatewaycomms.com

Gateway Communications own and operate the largest and most advanced pan-African telecommunications network. Our scale, reach and resources are unparalleled. Gateway connects over 583 million people in over 40 African countries, working in partnership with the continents leading mobile phone operators.

Our business experts are creating prosperity across Africa by working closely with multinational corporations; in banking and finance, oil and gas, mining and construction, retail and distribution, airlines and other important sectors.

With more than 50 transponders of satellite capacity over Africa we manage more connectivity over the continent than any other operator. And with 24 dedicated teleports, access to multiple sub sea cable landing ports, 17 African offices and 450 local experts, we've got more on the ground support than any other operator.

Gateway is committed to developing long term communications solutions and investing for the long term in the communities where we operate. We continue to be recognised for setting the standards for tomorrow's communications in Africa.

For more information please contact:

Tom Tudor

Marketing Director

Gateway Communications

Tel: [phone]
Email:  [e-mail] 

About Vodacom Group

Vodacom Group Limited (Vodacom) is an African mobile communications company providing voice, messaging, data and converged services to more than 40 million customers.  From its roots in South Africa, Vodacom has grown its operations to include networks in Tanzania, the DRC, Mozambique, and Lesotho and provides carrier and business services to customers in over 40 African countries.

Vodacom is majority owned by Vodafone, the world's leading international mobile communications group and is listed on the JSE Limited under the symbol VOD.

www.vodacom.com

For further information please contact:

Vodacom Group Media Relations

Tel: [phone]

Email: [e-mail] 

 

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