Savvis Extends to Venezuela

Venezuelan Bantel Telecomunicaciones has agreed to pay to link its network with Savvis' Miami network hub and will also resell Savvis IP VPN services.

by dc.internet.com Staff [August 14, 2002]

Savvis Communications Corp. has signed a new contract with Venezuelan telecom carrier Bantel Telecomunicaciones. Under the terms of the deal, Bantel has made an undisclosed investment to link Savvis' Miami-based network hub with its own Venezuelan network.

The Herndon, Va.-based Savvis now has local connectivity to Venezuela via Bantel's international and local fiber network and agreements it has with other telecom carriers there. As a result, Savvis is now able to offer its IP networking services in Venezuela, making it the only company in Venezuela to provide such services.

Simultaneously, Bantel will serve as an official reseller of Savvis' global IP VPN services, with points of presence in more than 45 nations, making Bantel one of a small subset of telecom carriers in Venezuela that can offer global coverage. In addition to the networking alliance, Bantel has agreed to purchase Internet services directly from Savvis.

"The relationship between Savvis and Bantel Telecomunicaciones is an example of how the Latin America telecommunications market is changing for the better," said Jim Mori, executive vice president and general manager of the Americas for Savvis. "Up until now, corporate users in Latin America have been limited to point-to-point, frame relay connections, and the public Internet as a means of conducting business. However, via the Savvis-Bantel deal, managed IP VPN services are now a viable part of the Latin American market."

Added Ricardo Otaola, president of Bantel, "It enables us to offer directly a managed IP VPN solution utilizing our own core network infrastructure. Until now, such an offering has basically been unheard of in Latin America. Combined with the demise of dominant frame relay providers, the availability of managed IP VPNs represents a tremendous opportunity for us and for our customers."

Savvis is a global network service provider that delivers IP VPNs, managed hosting and Internet services to medium-sized enterprises and the financial services market.

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