UK telco BT has won a five-year contract, worth £10.5 million, to upgrade Alliance & Leicester's network infrastructure to Internet Protocol (IP).
BT says the move to IP will increase Alliance & Leicester's network capacity by a factor of four and will improve communication between the group's 300 branches. Staff will also benefit from improved access to customer information and product data.
Ben Burgess, general manager of UK banking, BT, says: "IP is fast becoming the network standard for the finance industry because of its cost efficiency and reliability."
Russell Simm, technology and process design director, Alliance & Leicester, says it is important for the branch network to be as cost efficient as possible, whilst still delivering the best possible service.