Network will be extended to cover more sites and handle multimedia communications

Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has signed a £25m deal with BT, extending its current deal to cover 33 new sites in the USA and Latin America.

The new network will ensure that all AstraZeneca employees around the world have access to real-time information wherever and whenever they need it, said AstraZeneca chief information officer Richard Williams.

"The model will ensure BT services deliver greater agility, responsiveness and collaboration among our global workforce," he said.

"This will lead to improved overall business performance."

The network will also establish a foundation for the future development of video and multimedia communications across the business.

AstraZeneca’s network currently carries around six terabytes of data every day - the equivalent of 2,000 feature-length movies.