Aviva, the world's fifth largest insurance group, has signed-off on a six-year contract with Cable & Wireless (C&W) Europe, Asia & US worth £300 million.

In a bid to reduce costs at the insurance company, C&W will deliver over 70 different services including telephony, data and WAN to support its 35,000 staff in the UK and India.

The contract extension, adding to the companies’ existing 12 year relationship, will see C&W manage connectivity for over 1,000 sites. The company will also implement new BlackBerry services and speech recognition.

Norwich Union Insurance CEO Igal Mayer, said: "It is important to our market success that we are able to respond to business and customer needs promptly and reliably. This contract represents a significant commitment on both sides to ensure cost effective service against the backdrop of a highly competitive marketplace."