OREANDA-NEWS. September 04, 2012.   BT today announced a number of initiatives at a press conference in Bogota, indicating a stronger focus on growth opportunities in Colombia. The announcements include the launch of new services, the opening of a new centre of excellence in Bogota, additional contracts with Colombia’s largest company, Ecopetrol, and new social responsibility initiatives to help bridge the digital divide in the country.

 The BT Global Services leadership team, led by CEO Jeff Kelly, is currently visiting the country, meeting global and local business leaders as well as Colombian Government Ministers and other officials.

 Diego Molano Vega, Minister of Communications and Information Technologies of Colombia, said: “We are very optimistic about the new opportunities that BT can bring to Colombia. This Government is bringing Internet to the most disadvantaged and to the remote areas as a wonderful tool to reduce poverty and generate employment.”

 Jeff Kelly, CEO BT Global Services, said: “We are very impressed by the dynamism of the Colombian economy. The country is showing strong growth. It attracts an increasing number of global companies, while Colombian businesses are expanding internationally. Our customers are asking us to help them successfully grab this opportunity. Building on our strong assets in the country and the wider Latin America region, we are renewing our commitment to be the partner of choice for organisations seeking to grow in Colombia. We are also proud to contribute to the remarkable efforts deployed by the Colombian Government towards digital inclusion and computer literacy in deprived areas of the country.”

 The main announcements made in Bogota today are available in five separate press releases:
 • BT helps accelerate Ecopetrol’s expansion
 • BT Centre of Excellence opens in Bogota
 • BT launches new IT security services in Latin America
 • BT launches cloud-based data centre services in Latin America
 • BT helps bridge Colombia’s digital divide

 BT in Colombia
 Colombia is one of BT’s fastest expanding operations in Latin America, employing more than 130 people with a strong focus on highly qualified professional services specialists. Customers in Colombia include large national organisations such as Ecopetrol and Compartel as well as global companies operating in the country, such as Unilever and SABMiller. The Bogota Centre of Excellence for Data Centre Services and Security Management plays an important role for BT, by developing new products, spreading specialist knowledge and supporting other teams across Latin America.