May 11, 2004 Equant (NYSE: ENT) (Euronext Paris: EQU) has implemented a 72-site IP VPN solution for Swiss Re, one of the world¹s leading reinsurance companies.
This contract demonstrates Equant¹s strategy to develop global, customized and integrated communications services, leveraging upon its high-end IP VPN strengths and reducing total cost of ownership for its multinational customers.
Based in Zurich, Switzerland, Swiss Re has 70 offices in more than 30 countries and provides risk transfer, risk financing and asset management to its global client base. Today, the Swiss Re Group employees roughly 8,000 people and is one of the financially strongest reinsurers on a global basis.
Swiss Re, through a three-year contract renewal, has migrated from its legacy network to Equant IP VPN, allowing its employees in virtually all of its key markets to leverage the advantages of MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) technology. Key benefits of this solution are:
- Convergence: In order to meet Swiss Re¹s specific requirements, Equant designed a customized IP VPN solution that will allow easy integration of voice and video over a single, IP-based network in the future.
- Cost effectiveness: Migrating to an IP infrastructure creates economies of scale, allowing Swiss Re to optimize its telecom budget and improve service to end-users.
- Flexibility: The "plug-and-play" capability of Equant IP VPN will allow Swiss Re to easily interconnect new sites as the company expands.
- Greater control via traffic prioritization: Equant¹s MPLS-based IP VPN solution provides five classes of service that permit Swiss Re to prioritize its mission-critical applications, while providing end-to-end network management to ensure high service levels.
"Swiss Re will realize significant benefits from this migration, including performance improvement through communications infrastructure optimization, cost reductions, and further integration of new services," said Bernhard Karrer, network director of Swiss Re. "The migration project, led by an Equant Professional Services team, was a great success. Thanks to their commitment and outstanding efforts, we were able to complete this migration on time and without any impact on our business."
"We are happy to further build our relationship with Swiss Re through this migration to a customized Equant IP VPN solution," said Detlef Spang, Equant¹s senior vice president, Sales and Marketing, Europe, Middle East and Africa. "Swiss Re can now enjoy the same benefits as our more than 1,200 other IP VPN customers."
About Swiss Re
Swiss Re is a leading reinsurer and the world¹s largest life and health reinsurer. The company is global, operating from 70 offices in 30 countries. Since its foundation in 1863, Swiss Re has been in the reinsurance business. Swiss Re has three business groups: Property & Casualty, Life & Health and Financial Services. Swiss Re offers a wide range of traditional reinsurance products and related services, which are complemented by insurance-based corporate finance solutions and supplementary services. Swiss Re is rated "AA" by Standard & Poor¹s, "Aa1" by Moody¹s and "A+" by A.M. Best.
About Equant
Equant (NYSE: ENT) (Euronext Paris: EQU) is a recognized industry leader in global communications services for multinational businesses. Equant combines its network expertise including unmatched seamless network reach in 220 countries and territories and local support in approximately 165 countries with its expanded services capabilities to provide global, integrated and customized communication services to enable its customers key business processes. Equant serves thousands of the world¹s top companies, with the industry¹s most extensive portfolio of communications services and network solutions, including the market-leading IP VPN used by more than 1,200 global businesses as of March 31, 2004. Equant, a subsidiary of France Telecom, was named Best Global Carrier 2003 and Best Managed Service 2003 at the World Communication Awards and consistently leads industry surveys in corporate user satisfaction.
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This release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements related to Equant that involve risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that these statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future results or events. Readers are referred to the documents filed by Equant with the SEC, specifically the most recent filing on SEC Form 20-F, which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including, among other things, risks relating to Equant¹s history of operating losses, the unpredictability of growth in Equant¹s markets, changing technology, uncertain and changing regulatory restrictions, Equant¹s international operations, dependence on suppliers, network security issues, competition, and volatility of Equant¹s stock price and risks relating to the combination with Global One. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to Equant on the date hereof, and Equant assumes no obligation to update such statements.
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