Concert Communications Services
Concert Communications Services was a $1 billion joint venture, originally launched in June 1994 by BT Group and MCI Communications. Portugal Telecom became a partner in 1997.Concert was the first multiservice global end-to-end telecommunications provider, which broke the global national telecom monopoly on both international and in-country services. Its aim was to provide single deliverer end-to-end connectivity to multinational corporations. Its speed of global service coverage and availability was gained by leasing bandwidth from national telecoms companies, unlike competitors like FLAG or Global Crossing who physically laid cables in oceans, roads and pavements. After the breakdown of the BT/MCI relationship, it became a joint venture between BT and AT&T in 1999.