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BT to expand its regional operations

BT has announced that it intends to expand its presence in Turkey, the Middle East and Africa through a number of new initiatives.

These initiatives build on similar programmes in Asia Pacific and Latin America, where orders in the first nine months of this financial year were up over 50 per cent, the company said in a statement.

According to BT?s research, the addressable market in Turkey, the Middle East and Africa was worth a combined US$8.5 billion in 2011. IT spending growth across the regions is expected to top 10 per cent in 2012.

As part of the new programme, BT will hire around 170 new employees across the three regions, including highly skilled professional services specialists to provide local support to customers and deliver consulting, integration and managed services.

Customers in the regions will be able to access a wider range of ?intelligent? network services provided by the BT Connect portfolio. Local companies with global aspirations will fully benefit from BT Connect?s ability to provide services in 197 countries and territories.

Jeff Kelly, CEO BT Global Services said, ?The Middle East already hosts some of the world?s main business hubs, and is a crucial region for many of our customers. New opportunities are rapidly emerging in the region, and we are now expanding from our thriving base in the United Arab Emirates. We are also seeing the emergence of a new generation of local companies in these regions, eager to expand globally. Our new initiatives show that when we talk about global ambitions, we truly mean global.?

According to BT?s research, the addressable market in Turkey, the Middle East and Africa was worth a combined US$8.5 billion in 2011. IT spending growth across the regions is expected to top 10 per cent in 2012.

Three new network nodes are being launched in the Middle East, while additional network interconnections will be rolled out in Turkey.