BT and Microsoft Announce a Global Strategic Alliance to Deliver Real-Time Communication

HostReview.com
Monday, July 12, 2004; 12:00 AM

July 12, 2004 – (HostReview.com) - BT (www.bt.com) and Microsoft Corp. (www.microsoft.com) today announced a global strategic alliance to deliver a next-generation, integrated real-time communication and collaboration solution to BT and Microsoft customers worldwide, starting with immediate availability in the United Kingdom and United States.

The combined solution joins BT's audio conferencing services and Microsoft® Office Live Meeting to help businesses more effectively and efficiently communication and collaboration with their globally dispersed customers, partners and employees.
Customer Benefits are Streamlined Communication, Increased Productivity and Cost Savings.

Through the alliance, BT will be the first telecommunications company to simultaneously launch this type of service in multiple global markets. Live Meeting is the leading Web conferencing service that will be deployed by BT in enterprises worldwide. The combination of BT's world-class global telecommunications network and Microsoft's expertise in real-time collaboration technologies will empower businesses of all sizes to collaborate in real time, thereby minimizing travel-related expenses and ultimately increasing productivity.

"This collaboration is a further development of the long-term relationship between two of the world's leading brands," said Pierre Danon, CEO of BT Retail. "Microsoft and BT already have agreed to jointly define and develop additional communication and collaboration services that we will bring to market. Moreover, we expect our relationship to grow, representing additional market potential for both companies."

"Customers are facing declining budgets in staffing and travel, forcing them to improve the quality of communication and collaboration across their company and distributed workgroups," said Anoop Gupta, corporate vice president of the Real-Time Collaboration Business Unit at Microsoft. "Together, BT and Microsoft are committed to delivering more secure, easy-to-use collaboration solutions that leverage the strengths of both companies. Customers will have one-click access to integrated real-time collaboration solutions that enhance productivity and cost savings, and bring true business value to customers of all sizes."

Available immediately, this joint offering is priced on a per-minute, named-user or per-seat basis. Pricing packages are designed to fit the needs of individual customers. More information is available at http://www.conferencing.bt.com/ or by contacting a BT representative.

BT Group (NYSE "BTY") is one of Europe's leading providers of telecommunications services. Its principal activities include local, national and international telecommunications services, higher-value broadband and Internet products and services, and IT solutions. In the UK, BT serves over 20 million business and residential customers with more than 29 million exchange lines, as well as providing network services to other licensed operators.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.