Bank of America has signed a six-year $700m (£380m) deal
with EDS to integrate the communications infrastructure of recent
acquisition MBNA into its existing voice and data
network.
EDS already has a $4.5bn 10-year contract to provide managed
network services to America’s largest bank, signed in 2003. It
provides secure telecommunications and voice-over IP networking,
along with helpdesk services.
The new deal, which follows Bank of America’s $36bn acquisition
of MBNA last year - will see the expanded voice and data network
connect more than 200,000 staff in 5,800 high street banks and 50
contact centers across the US, using Cisco Systems network
products.
The network will also link 16,700 cash machines and support
internet and telephone banking.
Bank of America has the largest number of online banking
customers in the world, with its 15 million customers making up
more than a third of all US online banking users.
But earlier this year, the bank was forced to cancel some
customers’ debit cards after a data security breach at an
undisclosed company, in the latest of a series of high-profile
security problems.