Telefonica solutions enable multinationals to focus on their core business.

Intense global competition, tight margins, reaching new customers more effectively, and controlling operational costs are among the challenges multinationals face on a daily basis. Telefonica offers seamless global solutions that help multinational enterprises address these business issues and manage their resources more efficiently.

"Telefonica is a key business enabler for multinational enterprises conducting business in the United States, Latin America and Europe," says Pete Pizarro, chief executive officer for Telefonica in the United States.

"It's all part of a trend among multinationals to reap the efficiencies of using shared services centers and gain 'rapid operational efficiency'," says Anthony DeLima, executive vice president of Telefonica in the United States. "Among the companies we are working with, around 50% of them are either thinking about the idea, have live projects evaluating the possibility, or are in the process of implementation."

Regional shared services centers allow multinationals to derive important savings in three areas: Consolidating technology processes in one place, eliminating duplication of "back office" functions such as finance, procurement and sales/general administration, and streamlining headcount levels.

For example, a global electronics firm whose Latin American headquarters is based in Miami uses Telefonica to consolidate all its management systems--from procurement and materials resource planning to financial services such as invoicing, billing and collections.

"What differentiates us from other telecom companies is that we can offer the knowledge to navigate through the complex business decisions that must be made when determining where to place critical business processes," adds DeLima. "Additionally, having invested over US$63 billion in infrastructure in the region enables us to provide our customers with the ability to connect their disparate regional operations through high-speed connectivity. Without this capability, the whole model falls apart."

Telefonica's state-of-the-art, 173,000-square-foot KeyCenter in Miami provides complete solutions for IT outsourcing, managed services, security management backup and recovery, reducing the complexity, cost and risk normally associated with hosting mission-critical applications. Additionally, Telefonica's KeyCenter is one of its telecommunications hubs of the Americas. For both U.S. multinational and South Florida companies, the KeyCenter provides the ultimate in service and disaster protection with guaranteed bandwidth, dedicated processing power, superior support and security, redundant power and connectivity, and expert system administrators.

Telefonica is the world's leading communications operator in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries, where it has more than 89 million customers. With over 157,000 employees worldwide and revenues of US$28 billion, it is one of the world's largest providers of communications services. Telefonica offers services in 40 countries, with subsidiaries in Latin America, Europe, the United States, Africa and Asia.

Telefonica has achieved a leading position in Latin American telecommunications, thanks to strong investment and commitment in the region for more than a decade. Telefonica transports more than 80 percent of all Internet traffic to Latin America and has more than 650 points of presence, as well as Emergia, Telefonica's 16,000-mile self-healing undersea fiber optic ring to Latin America.

That's another reason why multinationals and other companies based in Florida increasingly are turning to Telefonica.

"We help market leaders succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace by offering a comprehensive suite of services that ultimately enables our clients to focus their time and resources on the core aspects of their businesses," says Pizarro.

www.telefonica.com Tel: [phone] or 305-925-5372