De Beers awards $37m technology contract to BT

BT has won a significant new contract with The De Beers Group of Companies. The six-year agreement, worth $37m, sees BT orchestrate a wide range of IT services across 70 De Beers Group sites, including exploration and mining locations across the world.

Established in 1888, De Beers’ diamond exploration, mining and marketing operations directly or indirectly employ more than 20,000 people globally.

De Beers and BT teams are bringing together a full range of BT Connect networking technologies including fibre, microwave and satellite. These will give De Beers staff, whether they are located in the frozen Northwest Territories of Canada, the Bushveld regions of southern Africa or the cities of Europe, Middle East and Asia, access to business applications and data storage as well as voice and conferencing services.

Craig Charlton, CIO of De Beers, said: “Whether it’s connecting our mining assets or our global distribution network, we need a partner with a strong track record. Using BT’s network will better connect our global operations.”

Luis Alvarez, chief executive officer, BT Global Services, said: “IT has become an art as much as a science. We’re working together with De Beers to orchestrate people, applications and systems around highly-tuned intelligent networks to deliver the best performance at the most competitive cost.”

“BT networks will bring together all De Beers sites whether they’re in the frozen north of Canada, which can only be reached in person for three months of the year, or the far reaches of Botswana. This is a master-class in the art of connecting, all designed to deliver stunning business outcomes.”