Despite filing for protection from bankruptcy earlier this year, Canadian manufacturer Nortel today announced a four year deal to supply BT's enterprise customers with networking gear.

Nortel's precarious financial position doesn't seem to bother BT Global Services convergence chief Lewis Lyell, who described the deal as "very good news for our customers".

The pair have traded together for 15 years.

Global Services has its own financial problems. The outsourcing division was responsible for the BT Group making a quarterly net loss last week, after failed contracts and restructuring charges contributed to a £1.6bn write down. ®

Related stories

• Nortel flogging GSM biz (2 October 2009)
• Canadian judges OK Nortel sale (17 September 2009)
• Nortel gets the nod for enterprise networking sale (5 August 2009)
• Ericsson wins battle for Nortel assets (27 July 2009)
• BlackBerry battles for Nortel assets (23 July 2009)
• O2 gets into banking business (16 July 2009)
• Olympics loses tech provider (13 July 2009)
• Another 15,000 jobs to go at BT (14 May 2009)
• Nortel confirms fire sale (12 May 2009)
• Nortel staff sacked without redundancy payout (31 March 2009)
• Consultants chase BT for £88m over 'contract breach' (13 March 2009)
• BT freezes wages for 100,000 (12 March 2009)
• Nortel to cut 3,200 workers (25 February 2009)
• Nortel UK goes into administration to save itself (15 January 2009)
• Nortel begs for bankruptcy protection (14 January 2009)