Unilever adds extra £270m to BT outsourcing deal

Pot Noodle-to-Persil consumer packaged goods giant Unilever has extended its telecoms outsourcing contract with BT for another three years, spending an extra £270m.

The extension means BT will deliver Unilever's voice, data and mobile services until 2012.

The original contract, announced in November 2002 and worth £670m, is one of BT's largest deals.

Unilever CIO Neil Cameron said in a statement: "The first three years of the agreement have delivered both in cost and service, clearly demonstrating that the bold decision taken by both companies in 2002 was justified.

"By extending this contract to 2012, I am confident that together we will be able to drive value for both our organisations in an area of technology that is clearly undergoing radical change".

Services provided by BT to Unilever include voice, mobile, internet, DSL, virtual private network, audio and videoconferencing, and managed BlackBerry. In addition BT said it will implement new services including satellite technology.

Before outsourcing Unilever worked with multiple telecommunications suppliers globally.

BT Global Services CEO Andy Green said in a statement: "We look forward to delivering further benefits in partnership with Unilever over the next six years."