BT feeling the heat at home from AT&T and Verizon

AT&T and Verizon Communications increasingly are putting the pressure on BT in Europe, pressing for contracts to supply telecom networks and IT services to multinationals.

AT&T's latest score - a $1.6 billion deal with Royal Dutch Shell in March - was a major coup, taking the deal out of the hands of BT, which counts the continent as a prime market for enterprise technology sales.

Both AT&T and Verizon's core business experience is dealing with enterprise customers, rather than the general consumer market. Earlier this year Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg said the group's international expansion was focused on serving companies.

For more:
- See the Financial Times story

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