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Telephony is currently undergoing a period of major change. Voice over IP has replaced the ISDN standard. This not only allows companies to communicate more cost‑effectively, but also gives them greater control over the management of voice and video data via their network. Above all, companies benefit from the simple integration of additional IP‑based network services.
The multinational media company Bertelsmann seized the opportunity presented by this shift in technology to further develop its internal and external telecommunications. With Colt’s VoIP solutions, individual sites and business units are better connected, and Bertelsmann benefits from highly reliable telephony through geo‑redundant networking across locations, as well as free internal calls between Bertelsmann companies.
On the way to a central voice infrastructure
Bertelsmann is a media, services and education company operating in 50 countries worldwide. Its portfolio includes the RTL Group, Penguin Random House, Gruner + Jahr, BMG, Arvato, the Bertelsmann Printing Group, the Bertelsmann Education Group and Bertelsmann Investments. With 126,000 employees, the company generated revenues of EUR 18.0 billion in the 2019 fiscal year.
When the contract for its ISDN fixed‑line telephony expired and Voice over IP became a viable alternative, Bertelsmann put the modernisation and upgrade of its public telephony connections out to tender.
“Since we had to reposition ourselves in fixed‑line telephony anyway, we took this as an opportunity to see what the current market offered. Our main goal was to create a central voice infrastructure that meets the needs of each business unit. In Colt, we found a provider that satisfies these diverse requirements with a flexible and future‑oriented solution,” — Sebastian Michel‑Wildner, Category Manager, Bertelsmann Group IT Sourcing
This strategy also proved suitable for the company’s European subsidiaries.
“With Colt’s solution, we are not only making our telephony more efficient, but also supporting a new vision of collaboration across the Group. The move to Voice over IP will make all our work more digital and collaborative.” — Oliver Bürgel, Strategic Program Alignment, Architecture & Standards Division, Bertelsmann Corporate IT
Voice taken one step further: Quick and easy access to Microsoft Teams
With the SIP Trunking solution, up to 10,000 calls can be transmitted in parallel and flexibly routed to external locations via the company WAN and LAN. Each group company receives its own SIP trunks, allowing services to be used independently. Colt has also deployed high‑performance IP access at nine sites across Germany, while smaller locations are connected directly via the internet. By prioritising voice data, call quality is maintained even during peak load. The SIP trunks are further protected through geo‑redundancy, ensuring that if one site encounters an issue, another takes over.
Colt will migrate more than 800 phone numbers by autumn 2020. Colt’s SIP Trunking also forms the basis of Bertelsmann’s Unified Communications solution, connecting Microsoft Teams to the public telephone network.
Solution with a bright future
“We were convinced by Colt from the first meeting. Not only was the price‑performance ratio right — the account team made an extremely competent and professional impression. This has been confirmed throughout the technical implementation, even when short‑notice changes were required. With this solution, we believe we are well‑positioned for the future requirements of digital collaboration.”
— Petra Lootze, Carrier Management, Arvato Systems
Arvato Systems, a major system integrator within the Bertelsmann Group, delivers internal IT services and manages fixed‑network telephony nationwide. The shift to Voice over IP offers significantly more opportunities than simply replacing an existing telephony standard. IP‑based voice services support the digital transformation of the organisation while enabling new, more collaborative ways of working.
