BT city fibre network launched in Paris

BT today announced a new stage of its development in France with the launch of a BT City Fibre Network (BT CFN) in Paris and its suburbs. The new network consists of three fibre loops interconnecting ten data centres and covering the majority of business centres in the Paris area. It provides cost effective multiservice access at speeds up to multiple 10Gbps to the BT Connect portfolio of network services, which includes optical, Ethernet, MPLS IP VPN and Internet services.

BT already operates CFN services in 24 cities across 6 countries in Europe (Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands and Spain) and in two cities in Latin America, connecting more than 3,000 business locations and telehousing centres, and providing on-net connectivity from the customers’ buildings to the BT Connect portfolio. BT manages the networks, equipment and connections just like any other component of its global core network. The availability of CFN services is guaranteed 24/7 with service level agreements.

Jérôme Boillot, country manager, BT France, said: “Our Paris network opens a new chapter in BT’s development in France and will considerably improve our ability to serve our local customers. They will benefit from excellent connectivity at competitive prices and gain improved access to our market-leading portfolio of networked IT services. This is another step for BT France to become the network service provider of choice for global multinationals with operations in Paris and French multinationals headquartered here.”

In France, BT employs 2,000 people and serves 400 clients. 90 per cent of France’s CAC 40 companies are BT clients, including major French banks, utilities and industrial companies. 70 per cent of BT’s French employees are professional services experts. BT has a strong expertise in security in France, with 350 security specialists, and provides a wide range of managed security services. In France, BT operates three data centres, a network operations centre and a security operations centre.