KONE on the Rise with AT&T

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- KONE, one of the worlds leading elevator and escalator companies, has chosen AT&T to help make an on-going IT transformation project a success through the adoption of a global network from AT&T.

KONE needed a consolidated network for voice and data that could prioritize different types of data in order to ensure better performance and also reduce costs. KONE wanted to standardize its existing technology platform by creating a single network, future proofing the company's IT infrastructure by giving it the possibility of easily implementing new technological developments.

AT&T has been selected to provide an Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IP VPN), which incorporates the latest Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) technology, to integrate 450 KONE locations around the world. The network from AT&T fits perfectly with KONE's drive to reduce cost and increase efficiency by modernizing the company's internal technological platform thought its "Mercury Project," placing the network at the core of the company's ongoing business transformation.

New applications can rapidly be implemented and supported around the world, thanks to the fully managed VPN platform.

KONE has subsidiaries, offices and production units throughout the world, but the global IT unit is located in Brussels.

If you would like more information or an interview with Frank Verelst of AT&T please contact Liesbeth Driesen at Luna on +32 2 658 02 93 or at liesbeth@luna.be.

About KONE

KONE is the world's fourth largest elevator and escalator company and provides complete and innovative solutions for the installation, maintenance and modernization of elevators and escalators and the maintenance of automatic building doors. KONE provides safe and easy access to hundreds of millions of people daily in all parts of the world. KONE has annual net sales of approximately EUR three billion and about 27,000 employees. Its class B shares are listed on the Helsinki Exchanges. The company's global IT division is located in Brussels. For more information visit http://www.kone.com/ /

About AT&T

For more than 125 years, AT&T has been known for unparalleled quality and reliability in communications. Backed by the research and development capabilities of AT&T Labs, the company is a global leader in local, long distance, Internet and transaction-based voice and data services.

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