Daniel Caclin, who took over as the Amsterdam, Netherlands-based company’s chief executive in July 2003, said Equant was aiming to meet the new needs of multinational corporations for network complexity management, customized and integrated solutions, reduction of total cost of ownership and seamless transition to IP-based networks.
Caclin also said this increased focus on services formed part of parent company France Telecom’s strategy to become an end-to-end communications provider to business clients. Equant’s own recent financial performance has suffered from a decline in demand for new communications equipment rollouts, and in the third quarter ending September 30, 2003, revenue fell 2.6% to $711.9m.
The company highlighted several areas where it wanted to build up its services expertise, including outsourcing, mobility and enhanced voice systems. Caclin said that Equant would pool its existing 3,000 communications services employees including consultants, field engineers and project managers into a dedicated services team.
This services team will operate in five practice areas: consulting, project management, service management, integration services, and managed services. Equant said that it already works on large services contracts with clients including Electrolux, Le Meridien and Lufthansa Systems. The company also said it wants to build up its presence in North America, where clients include 3M and Hyatt International.
One area of services that Equant is keen to push is its managed virtual private network service, which Equant claims is currently used by 1,000 clients. The company signed a $7m, four-year deal to build and manage an MPLS-capable IP VPN for Aviall Services Inc, one of the world’s largest suppliers of aviation parts.
This article is based on material originally produced by ComputerWire.
