Esat BT signs 'ground-breaking' contract with Bank of Ireland

TELECOM operator Esat BT has scooped a seven year contract worth over €150 million to manage Bank of Ireland's communications network.

The contract is one of the biggest ever signed in Ireland and will cover the bank's voice, data and internet needs. Esat BT will also provide facilities for the bank's disaster recovery programme, the key back-up plan that allows a company to continue its operations in the event of any of its major buildings being destroyed or damaged.

Esat BT said the deal was a ground-breaking contract for its parent group, BT, outside Britain. Esat BT chief executive Bill Murphy said being awarded a contract of this scale was a clear endorsement of the company's credentials and capabilities. Bank of Ireland chief information officer Cyril Dunne said the new arrangement would help the bank develop a world-class infrastructure system and would allow it to actively manage costs.

Bank of Ireland has already outsourced much of its information technology (IT) requirements to American computer giant Hewlett Packard (HP).

The agreement with HP was the subject of controversy when members of the Irish Bank Officials Association (IBOA) took strike action in protest at being transferred from Bank of Ireland to a new special purpose company. A small number of the bank's network management staff will transfer to Esat BT under the terms of the new contract.

Esat BT and HP will work closely together over the next 7 years to deliver the bank's IT requirements. Esat BT said it would focus on standardising the technology used by the bank and bring in the latest versions of communications systems. This would cut costs and improve communications platforms, according to the company.

Esat BT beat off competition from a number of other telecommunications providers to win the contract. The company employs over 800 people in Ireland and has offices in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford, providing voice, data and internet services to customers.