Firm could invest in IP telephony solutions to run on BT network

Internet protocol (IP) telephony solutions could soon be on the agenda for Staples, the world's largest supplier of offices products, after it chose BT to carry out a significant upgrade to its telecommunications network.

Staples, which has stores in 26 countries in Europe, Asia, Australia and North and South America, is to receive a new set-up that is described by BT as highly resilient and cost-effective.

It will result in the firm's offices across different nations being able to communicate with each other using a secure wide area network (WAN) environment.

"We are working towards one single, European WAN connecting all our offices and stores across Europe," explained Kevin Milliken, senior vice-president and head of information technology at Staples.

Among the European countries where the company has bases are the UK, Spain, France, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium.

BT will provide a private network on which IP telephony solutions can be run and will draw on its 20 years of experience in the IP platforms business.

"We chose BT as our primary European supplier because of their reliability, flexibility and ability to offer us a high-bandwidth, cost-effective wide area network – regardless of underlying technology or office location," Mr Milliken stated.

The deal may emphasise the importance of investing in a high-quality web platform on which to operate telecommunications technology, such as IP solutions and VoIP hardware.

Firms based in the UK could be in a great position to benefit from technology such as that due to be run by Staples, if a recent report is anything to go by.

Ofcom found that the country's premises are connected to high-speed broadband – which is ideal for hosting top-quality web-based telecommunications solutions – in greater numbers than their European counterparts.

For instance, last June, 59 per cent of buildings in the UK were able to receive superfast broadband from BT or Virgin Media, compared to just three per cent in Germany.