BT adds Ethernet service for companies in Canada

One of the world’s biggest telecom carriers is expanding its offerings in Canada and the U.S.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is now offering Ethernet Connect, its global Layer 2 virtual private network service, for organizations in the Toronto area that want to connect data centres or manage their IP layer.

“There’s a growing demand for Ethernet service globally,” explained Stephen Bruce, unified communications and mobility marketing specialist at the provider. “Organizations want to run their own Ethernet networks so they can run specific applications or their own IP addressing and routing.”

Until now, BT offered its IP Connect MPLS connectivity. Organization could use Ethernet to access IP Connect, but it wasn’t a true Layer 2 service.

Pricing for Ethernet Connect ranges from about $500 to more than $17,000 a port per month depending on a variety of factors, including site locations, bandwidth required, local or wide area network service and class of service.

Although BT has points of presence in Montreal and Calgary, there is no plan at the moment to offer Ethernet Connect there.
Existing BT customers here will likely be the organizations that will want the new service, Bruce said, as well as Canadian companies looking for global connectivity. Ethernet Connect is offered in 28 countries.

BT, which has been operating here for about 20 years, concentrates on network and telecom services for international companies that have Canadian divisions and Canadian-based companies with branches outside the country.

Bruce didn’t identify Canadian customers, but he did say that for BT customers like Unilver plc, H.J. Heinz Co. and Bristol-Meyers Squibb Co., BT provides both wide area and local area networks as well as their telecommunications services. It’s critical they have local connectivity wherever they have offices, he said.

The carrier offers network, security, cloud and professional services, including hosted unified communications.
Bruce and country manager Emilio Rimonti wouldn’t give revenue figures, but business is good enough that another point of presence will be opened this year in Vancouver.

“We’re definitely looking at increasing our staff,” said Rimonti, which now totals 35, “and increasing our revenue by double-digit numbers.

BT will do it, he said, by adding more services, including professional services. “The Canadian position in the past was more of a network services play,” he said. “Now we’re investing in a more consultative-led system integrator approach.”

 

Rimonti is a former vice-president of marketing at Teleglobe who also worked for AT&T Canada and Mitel Networks.