OREANDA-NEWS. October 5, 2012. BT today announced the signature of additional contracts with Ecopetrol, the largest company in Colombia and the fourth largest oil company in Latin America. BT is providing Ecopetrol with data centre and satellite connectivity capabilities, as well as professional services that contribute to the company’s growth strategy at a decisive moment in its expansion.

 Ecopetrol’s core business is the exploration, production, transport, refining and commercialisation of oil and natural gas. Ecopetrol is also involved in exploration and production activities in Brazil, Peru and the United States Gulf Coast.

 BT is delivering the following services to Ecopetrol:
 • Satellite services that connect Ecopetrol’s oil exploration and drilling areas throughout Colombia, including in remote areas lacking infrastructure;
 • Hosted connectivity services, leveraging BT’s data centre capabilities in Colombia. Those services include collocation, storage, switching, connectivity and firewall services. They provide Ecopetrol with a more agile, flexible and resilient IT infrastructure.
 • Professional services, including the management by BT of a number of Ecopetrol assets such as storage, telephony system, security infrastructure, LAN/WAN infrastructure, data centre infrastructure, structured cabling and energy systems. Ecopetrol will benefit from improved productivity and the ability to better focus on its core business

 Luis Alvarez, President EMEA and Latin America for BT Global Services, said: “Our customers in Colombia and in wider Latin America are asking us to help them grow and transform their business in the region and around the world. The investment programme we announced nearly a year ago is driven by the ambition to respond to the requirements of companies such as Ecopetrol. We are bringing innovative new services to the region and are increasing our ability to offer the best quality of service in the industry. The successful delivery of our contracts with Ecopetrol tells us that our customers agree with our strategic choices, and see great benefits in partnering with us.”

 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.
 About Ecopetrol
 Ecopetrol is Colombia’s largest integrated oil & gas company, where it accounts for 60% of total production. It is one of the top 50 oil companies in the world and the fourth largest oil company in Latin America and is also involved in exploration and production activities in Brazil, Peru and the United States Gulf Coast. It owns the main refineries in Colombia, most of the network of oil and multi-purpose pipelines in the country and petrochemical plants, and is currently entering the biofuels business.