TeliaSonera/Blizzard Entertainment deal
European IP transit sorted out for another two years.
June 9, 2010
Online gamers will continue to enjoy a rich and reliable gaming experience thanks to an agreement struck between TeliaSonera International Carrier and Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. Recently, the companies agreed to a two-year renewal for IP transit in Europe.
Blizzard Entertainment ® is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software best known for its Warcraft ® , StarCraft ® , and Diablo ® series, as well as its popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft ® . TeliaSonera International Carrier has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Blizzard Entertainment since 1999, providing Internet connectivity for both World of Warcraft and the Battle.net ® online-gaming service in Europe.
“Customers are in pursuit of the best online gaming experience, and we are aware of the diverse nature of their needs and priorities,” said Brendan Ives, Vice President and Head of International Sales, TeliaSonera International Carrier. “We are striving to provide complete solutions for our customers, enabling the best gaming experience possible, as we look to become the provider of choice to the online gaming industry.”
“For years, TeliaSonera International Carrier has been providing high-quality, low-latency connectivity, helping us deliver great online-gaming experiences to our players across Europe,” said Paul Sams, Chief Operating Officer of Blizzard Entertainment. “As we prepare for the upcoming launch of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty TM and the new Battle.net, we’re pleased to be working with a carrier that can provide the speed and reliability our European players expect.”
Leveraging experience and expertise in operating a global fibre-based network, TeliaSonera International Carrier has a superb platform in place on which to build its new high capacity and highly resilient network aimed at serving the needs of the professional online gaming industry. The gaming network is fully owned and operated by TeliaSonera International Carrier which means that every link and network element is monitored and managed from a central point. Each fibre connection is fully redundant and individual streams are monitored and managed continuously. In the unlikely event of significant signal degradation or failure the network will instantaneously switch to an alternative path, without impacting quality of service to the end consumer.
For further information journalists can contact:
The TeliaSonera Press Office, +46-(0)8-713 58 30
TeliaSonera provides network access and telecommunication services in the Nordic and Baltic countries, the emerging markets of Eurasia, including Russia and Turkey, and in Spain. TeliaSonera is also the leading European wholesale provider of quality cross-border voice, IP and capacity services, with a wholly-owned international carrier network. TeliaSonera’s services help people and companies communicate in an easy, efficient and environmentally friendly way. TeliaSonera creates value by focusing on providing world-class customer experience, securing quality in networks and achieving a best-in-class cost structure. In 2009, TeliaSonera’s net sales amounted to SEK 109 billion, and at the end of December 2009 the total number of subscriptions was 148 million in 20 countries. The TeliaSonera share is listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm and NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. Read more at www.teliasonera.com