Next plc to Benefit From Critical Network With Cable&Wireless Worldwide

LONDON, August 17, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cable&Wireless Worldwide continues to lead high street communications with a five year contract to connect 32 distribution sites and offices in the UK, and Hong Kong for leading retailer, Next plc.

C&W Worldwide's single, secure and high-speed next-generation network will underpin all of Next's critical communications including taking orders and dispatching and receiving goods into warehouses. The advanced network will provide Next with significantly more capacity to work with much higher volumes of goods than it was previously able to process.

The increased capacity and flexibility will also enable more customers to place orders on Next's website; this will be particularly beneficial during peak trading periods. With UK shoppers spending GBP5.46 billion online last December alone, Next is well positioned to ensure its festive online shoppers enjoy the same high standards of service as they would instore.

As part of the deal C&W Worldwide will also provide Next with Application Performance Management (APM), offering real-time visibility and control of what is happening on its network. For the first time, Next will be able to dynamically manage, accelerate and prioritise traffic to better meet the needs of its business and, ultimately, its customers.

Next comments: "We needed a highly resilient network which would support our current needs and allow for future growth and new technologies. Additionally, the APM service gives us more control over our network traffic than ever before, helping us deliver even better service to our stores and online customers."

Jim Marsh, Chief Executive Officer, Cable&Wireless Worldwide comments; "We're delighted to be working with such an iconic high street brand in Next. C&W Worldwide has a wealth of experience in the retail sector and in providing retailers with critical network infrastructures. We look forward to working with Next to address its telecoms and overall business needs."

Notes to Editors

The contract value is several million pounds. The actual figure cannot be disclosed due to client confidentiality.

About Next

Next is a UK based retailer offering exciting, beautifully designed, excellent quality clothing, footwear, accessories and home products. Next distributes through three main channels: Next Retail, a chain of more than 500 stores in the UK and Eire, the Next Directory, a home shopping catalogue and website with more than 2 million active customers, and Next International, with more than 180 stores and growing website capability outside the UK.

About Cable&Wireless Worldwide

Cable&Wireless Worldwide (LSE: CW.) aims to be the first-choice provider of mission critical communications. The Company is one of the world's leading critical communication providers delivering a range of high-quality managed voice, data and IP-based services and applications to large corporates, multinational companies, governments, carrier customers and resellers across the UK, Asia Pacific, India, Middle East & Africa, Continental Europe and North America.

In the UK, Cable&Wireless Worldwide owns the country's largest fibre network dedicated to business users of telecoms reaching 20,500km in length, and providing ubiquitous UK access through a combination of fibre, digital, microwave, radio and leased circuits. The network has presence in more than 400 towns and cities in the UK, with 802 unbundled exchanges covering 55% of the population.

On an international scale, Cable&Wireless Worldwide's global next-generation network (NGN) stretches to more than 500,000km, including interests in 69 global cable systems, and provides connectivity to 153 countries. The Company's Multi-Service Platform, an IP-based next-generation platform that operates across the NGN, offers a single environment on which voice and data applications can be converged to drive business efficiencies. The network is uniquely designed with inbuilt resilience and the capability to re-route traffic across diverse paths in the event of failure of one or more paths, particularly at the international level.

With more than 6,300 colleagues globally, Cable&Wireless Worldwide is committed to delivering exceptional customer service and developing long term partnerships with its customers.

    To find out more, please visit http://www.cw.com

    Media Contact:

    CABLE&WIRELESS WORLDWIDE
    Natalie Easson
    PR Manager
    +44(0)7717-427-418
    Cable&Wireless Worldwide Press Office
    +44(0)1344-818-888

SOURCE Cable&Wireless Worldwide

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