Today, through Global Services, BT offers services, including voice, in more than 170 countries across the globe, primarily serving large multi-national corporates. Although globally BT already has an established MPLS network - much of which is already IP-based albeit predating the strategic architecture BT has defined for 21CN - it has a number of different network platforms across the globe gained as a result of growth, mergers, acquisitions and alliances. These multiple platforms are being integrated into a simpler but more powerful global IP-based network with country-specific network access to customer sites.
BT's MPLS network continues to expand around the globe - every week an average of one new city is added, and every month over 3,000 new customer sites are connected. In 2006-07, network capacity expanded six-fold to carry the digitised equivalent of Washington's Library of Congress five times a day. BT's global 21CN platform is now available in 167 countries worldwide.
Although the scale and scope of the challenge is different to the UK, a significant effort is being directed to embody the principles and functionality of 21CN overseas. Activity follows common 21CN architectural principles with every effort being taken to gain synergy benefits by minimising variation to where fundamental differences exist.