JT appoints representative & opens office in Silicon Valley

JT is pleased to announce the appointment of a senior representative in Silicon Valley, marking the next phase in its Jersey Lab project.  Responsible for the marketing of the JT Lab concept in the USA, JT will further evolve its commitment to market Jersey and utilise JT’s gigabit infrastructure by positioning an opportunity for companies to use Jersey as a centre for innovation, technology and testing.  This next development will help firmly establish JT’s presence in America as a leading hub for high-tech innovation and development.

Rick Pierson, a technology expert with 24 year’s experience working for major Tier 1 telecommunications companies in the United States, joins JT as Innovation and Strategy Consultant.As JT’s representative in Silicon Valley he will forge links with the world’s leading high-tech organisations using his extensive network of contacts and present JT Lab as an opportunity for them to research and test their products in a commercially live ecosystem.

Tim Ringsdore, JT’s MD of Global Enterprise, said: “We are delighted to introduce Rick as our man on the ground in Silicon Valley to build on our efforts to partner with the world’s leading technology companies. He is an expert in the field of telecommunications with extensive experience in the innovation arena and demonstrates a strong track record of success. He shares our vision and believes that JT Lab offers a genuinely unique opportunity for the companies that he has direct links into.

JT Lab was officially launched in December last year when global telecoms company UTStarcom relocated its European research facility to Jersey to take advantage of the full-fibre network we are introducing. Through our membership of the Telecom Council of Silicon Valley we have already been promoting JT Lab to the American audience over the past year and by appointing Rick, we are now in a position to build on these foundations and generate more interest in what Jersey can offer to the world’s leading tech companies, such as Google and Apple.”

Talking of his appointment at JT, Rick Pierson said: “It is my belief that JT Lab represents the first revolutionary and unique opportunity for global technology business to access a commercially live ecosystem for research and development (R&D), and live marketing feedback. I am pleased to be involved in taking JT’s Lab initiative to the next level by promoting it to the world’s leading tech companies in the Americas.  Being able to take advantage of a full-fibre network is very appealing and to test and launch products and services on a real infrastructure, with real customers and in real time is pushing the boundaries. There has already been a lot of enthusiasm among my contacts to find out more about the opportunity. No other Tier 1 operator in the world has opened up their infrastructure or allowed access to their customer base, this is truly a first in our industry.”

Mr Pierson has held a variety of roles in the global telecommunications industry, including new business development, product development, telecom infrastructure design/build-out, mobile applications, application framework, and system software.   ‘Silicon Valley’ refers to the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California and is America’s leading hub for high-tech innovation and development. Thousands of high technology companies are headquartered in Silicon Valley including, Apple, Google, Oracle, Facebook, ebay, Cisco, Intel and HP.

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Transformation of States IS moves ahead with data centre award

The transformation of the States Information Services function, one of the building blocks for public sector reform, continues with JT being awarded preferred supplier status to provide a second data centre.

This forms another key part of the States IS strategy and meets the need to consolidate the States existing data centres and server rooms into just two centres which will provide back up for each other. The initiative follows the agreement to consolidate the provision of States data network services in January 2012, at a reduced cost, fixed price and with new service quality measures.

The new centre, provided by JT on a dedicated and fit for purpose site, will replace the centre currently housed at the General Hospital which has limited scope for expansion. This will meet the long term need to provide a new data centre without incurring the cost associated with building and fitting out a new site.

The Director of Information Services, Neil Wells, said: “This is an important step in bringing about the long term aspiration for States departments to share IS infrastructure which will improve business continuity, help us make cost reductions and further improve service levels. We have an excellent team in place to manage this fundamental shift in IS provision in the public sector.

“The provision of modern IS Services require a high quality shared service in partnership with local suppliers. In this instance, the potential suppliers for the new data centre proved to us that they could provide the high level of security that both we and the public would expect for centrally-held data and I am confident that the service JT will provide will meet this and all other aspects of the contract,” said Mr Wells.

“We were impressed with the quality of the proposals from all potential suppliers. Our plan is to continue to develop ongoing service delivery partnerships with local companies, and further opportunities for other suppliers will arise in the next 12 months.”

Tim Ringsdore, Managing Director for Global Enterprise at JT said: “We are delighted to be confirmed as the preferred supplier on this project. JT is the largest provider of data hosting services in the Channel Islands and we have the skills and infrastructure necessary to provide an innovative and cost-effective solution for the States of Jersey.

“We have the experience to deliver a resilient and well equipped facility which will protect the Island’s vital data through a variety of different scenarios. Coming just a few months after we won the contract to build a fibre network for the States of Guernsey, this confirms that JT is growing business as we implement our five year strategy to become the partner of choice for global telecoms innovation”.

The Cyril Le Marquand House data centre has been substantially refurbished in the last two years, enhancing its capacity by some 61 per cent. The new location will run alongside this data centre.



Appointment bolsters JT Lab worldwide reputation

As part of the next phase in its Gigabit Isles initiative, JT has announced the appointment of Dr Peter Cochrane as global ambassador for JT Lab.

Dr Cochrane has an established international reputation as an expert on fibre-to-the-home technology and his views on the topic are sought by organisations, governments and professionals around the world. In his capacity as JT Lab ambassador, Dr Cochrane will work closely with JT’s Global Enterprise team as an independent consultant drawing on his 40 years of technology and operational experience.

He will also be responsible for introducing and developing key business relationships to drive new and future opportunities for JT and JT Lab, and will recommend innovative technologies, businesses and possible acquisitions that will generate new revenues for JT.

Managing director of JT’s Global Enterprise division, Tim Ringsdore, said: “It is vital that what we are doing here in the Channel Islands is brought to the attention of key telecommunications and technology companies around the world who can benefit from the truly unique opportunity we can offer. Peter’s belief in what we are doing together with his breadth of influence and contacts within the industry make him an ideal ambassador for JT Lab and we are absolutely delighted to have him on board.

“JT Lab has already put Jersey on the digital map and with the support of someone like Peter we are now positioned to take our Gigabit Isles initiative to the next level and  attract more businesses to Jersey. UTStarcom is the first global company to take advantage of our JT Lab facility and in securing others like them we will prove the broader value to the Channel Islands in our ongoing investments into our ubiquitous fibre network.”

Speaking of this new role, Dr Peter Cochrane, said: “JT are innovators in fibre-to-the-home technology and I am very pleased to play such an important role in helping them take their gigabit strategy to the next level. The fibre-to the-home roll out and Next Generation Network technology make the Island an ideal example of how other countries should be progressing, and as the keynote at the FTTH Conference earlier this year I was pleased to highlight Jersey as the leading light – in this new role I look forward to further supporting JT.”

JT Lab was launched last year to provide global technology businesses with access to a commercially live ecosystem offering the potential to build, test, and deploy services from world-class JT facilities with the Island’s truly high speed international connectivity. JT’s Gigabit Jersey project will provide a Gigabit+ optical service to 100% of Jersey households by 2016, creating the fastest local access network anywhere in the world.

Dr Cochrane has strong links with Jersey through his daughter who lives here and will be visiting the island frequently to retain a close eye on developments concerning JT’s fibre network and JT Lab.

In March Dr Cochrane addressed the House of Lords Communications Committee as part of their inquiry into superfast broadband, and referred to JT’s plan to implement a fibre-to-the-home programme to illustrate how Jersey is progressing ahead of Europe in delivering a fibre-optic network.

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