The joint venture between Cable & Wireless Plc and Schlumberger Ltd, which first came to light when the European Commission announced that it was investigating it under competition policy rules, has now been formally announced. The two have formed an equally owned joint venture company called Omnes to provide global customised communications services, which will initially focus on Schlumberger’s speciality, the exploration and production sectors of the oil and gas industry. Omnes’s first phase of activity will include management and future development of the private Schlumberger Information Network, which has nodes in 53 countries. It will then develop the network to the point where it can be used to offer data, speech and value-added services co mmercially to other companies from offices in Houston, Texas and others worldwide.
