BT is hooking up with Japanese telco KDDI to provide telecoms service to Japanese multinationals.

Once up and running the new 50:50 joint venture will employ around 100 staff and draw on the resources of both operators.

BT exec Andy Green said: "The joint venture agreement with KDDI is a perfect fit to address this market demand, with BT bringing its global capabilities and proven outsourcing track record, and KDDI contributing local relationships, capabilities and focus on the Japanese market."

Existing customers of BT Japan and BT Infonet will be serviced by the partnership, he added.

Elsewhere, BT has been linked with troubled UK software outfit iSoft. The Sunday Times reported that BT is mulling a bid for iSoft, which has a number of NHS contracts.

Earlier this month iSoft's chief exec fell on his sword after the firm was caught up in more bad press about the delayed NHS IT project. A recent report by the National Audit Office (NAO) found that the £12.4bn National Programme for IT might not be delivering value for money. ®

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• NHS IT fiasco claims scalp at iSoft (15 June 2006)
• iSoft in intensive care (9 June 2006)
• NHS IT: Over budget, overdue and unpopular (30 May 2006)
• iSoft suffers NHS fever (2 May 2006)
• iSoft shares take a tumble (30 January 2006)