BT 1999 Annual Report Download - page 8

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7
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S STATEMENT
announced, together with AT&T, a partnership with Japan
Telecom. Japan is a key market and this move takes our
global strategy an important step forward. During the
year, revenues from our new ventures in mainland Europe
and the Asia-Pacific region amounted to over £1.1 billion.
We have also made our first foray into Latin America, with
a £90 million investment in ImpSat, which provides major
corporate customers with an advanced range of voice,
data, Internet and e-commerce services in key cities.
Mobility
The market for mobile communications is growing at
20 per cent per year and our mobile operations now have
more than 14 million customers worldwide – including
over four million each for BT Cellnet in the UK and
Cegetel’s subsidiary, SFR, in France and over two million
for Spain’s Airtel.
Business systems
And, in the market for business systems, BT’s Syncordia
Solutions, which manages networks for corporate clients,
and Syntegra, which designs integrated business systems,
together grew by more than 20 per cent in 1998/99.
Innovation
Our work in all of these growth areas draws on our world-
class research and development. Innovation is vital for a
successful communications company, and we are working
at the leading-edge in technologies such as the Internet
protocol (IP) – the technology behind the Internet – and
mobile communications.
To date, our researchers have won the Queen’s Award
for Technological Achievement on five occasions.
The future
In 1998/99, our focus on the major growth areas of
communications delivered results for all our stakeholders
– for our shareholders, our customers, our people and for
the communities in which we operate.
I look forward to your continued support as we step up to
face the challenges and opportunities of this fast-moving
market, and as we drive for further growth in 1999/2000.
Sir Peter Bonfield CBE
Chief Executive
25 MAY 1999