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BT to acquire International Network Services

BT has announced it will acquire International Network Services (INS), a California-based IT consulting firm, to heighten its profile in the United States.

The British corporation said the deal would expand the firm beyond its core telecommunications market. INS will become part of BT’s growing global services IT group, which aims to double its U.S. revenue by 2009.

BT would not reveal the cost of the acquisition, but analysts believe it could be in the region of $200 million (£100 million).

Andy Green, chief executive of BT’s global services, said: "The INS business is another great services acquisition for us. It significantly boosts our ability to supply world-class professional services to U.S.-headquartered corporations and increases BT’s presence in the key North American market."

INS employs 900 consultants in 12 countries who will now join the BT payroll. According to the consulting firm, it has worked with 75 percent of the Fortune 500 and in September 2005 had assets of almost $50 million (£27 million).

INS specializes in risk management, infrastructure transformation, business productivity and IT architecture.

Last October, BT bought the California-based managed security services firm, Counterpane for nearly $40 million (£21 million), as part of a strategy to expand and develop its global professional services capabilities for large and small businesses and the public sector.

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