Abbey Business Centres, the award-winning provider of serviced office space and virtual office facilities, has selected Telstra Limited, a leading UK alternative telecom company, to provide and manage voice services for its international network of business centres.

Abbey Business Centres increased the size of its office portfolio by 10% in the last year, including a prestigious new 28,000 sq ft facility in London’s “Gherkin” building which opened in March. 

The new fixed-term contract renewal was awarded following a competitive tender process and Telstra was selected on the basis of continued high levels of service, transparency and its strong understanding of Abbey Business Centres’ objectives.

Abbey Business Centres will benefit from competitive call rates, guaranteed levels of service, 24/7 customer support, rapid software installation for new office sites, online billing facilities and a dedicated account management team.

Julie Calder, Managing Director, Abbey Business Centres, said, “Telstra successfully installed all the required voice services in just one day at our new state-of-the-art facilities in The Gherkin building, which was pivotal in enabling us to keep to our opening schedule and meet the needs of our clients.”

Telstra will also be working with Abbey Business Centres to develop an implementation strategy for the roll-out of next generation converged VoIP communication services during 2007.

Julie Calder added, “Telstra remains our trusted communications partner of choice and over the past four years has consistently demonstrated its in-depth understanding of our business and the ability to adapt to the challenges we face.”

David Thorn, CEO Telstra Limited, concluded, “The growing adoption of flexible working has had a huge impact on the demand for serviced and virtual office services.  Telstra Limited is delighted to continue to support Abbey Business Centres as it grows and look forward to a continued excellent working relationship.”

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Media Contacts:
Telstra Limited
Peter Fitzpatrick, hbl media, 020 7612 1830 / peter@hblmedia.com
Kathryn Hughes, hbl media, 020 7612 1830 / kathryn@hblmedia.com

Notes to Editors:

Telstra Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telstra Corporation Limited (ASX:TLS). Operational in Europe for over 14 years, Telstra offers an extensive range of voice and data services including total managed network solutions using Global IP-VPN (MPLS), Internet, ATM, Frame Relay, Private Lines, hosting and co-location services and enhanced voice solutions to medium sized business and multinational corporations in the UK. Additional value added services include fully managed CPE, network reporting, consulting, planning, project management, service tools, which enable customers to monitor and view their network status 24x7 and customer support seven days a week.

Delivering connectivity business solutions, value-added services and complex managed IP solutions, Telstra Limited’s portfolio is complemented by its independently-owned and managed switched network. Switches are located in London, Birmingham and Manchester working alongside 14 co-location points throughout the UK. Additionally, state-of-the-art, resilient data centres are located in London, Docklands, Cambridge and Sunderland.

Parent company, Telstra Corporation Limited, is a full service global telecommunications company.

Abbey Business Centres operates 12 UK business centres and 1 in The Netherlands (London EC1, London EC3, Manchester, Glasgow G2, Glasgow G3, Edinburgh, Heathrow, Bracknell, Weybridge, Slough, Redhill, Theale and Amsterdam)
The company delivers award-winning serviced offices, virtual offices and meeting rooms to a range of clients, from start-ups to corporates.
Abbey Business Centres first launched in Glasgow in 1998 and is owned by Lord Laidlaw of Rothiemay.