Bharti Airtel extends managed services with Nokia Siemens Networks for further five years

Indian operator continues outsourcing of network operations and maintenance in eight circles

Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa, has selected Nokia Siemens Networks as its managed services partner in eight circles of the country - Bihar and Jharkhand; Kolkata; Gujarat; Maharashtra and Goa; Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh; Mumbai; Orissa and West Bengal. Under this five-year managed services contract, Nokia Siemens Networks will manage and maintain Bharti Airtel’s 3G and GSM networks as well as iWAN (internet Wireless Access Network), the operator’s enterprise broadband service. This next phase of managed services relationship will help Bharti Airtel achieve better network efficiency, simplify operations and deliver better quality services.

Nokia Siemens Networks is already a managed services partner to Bharti Airtel in these eight circles. These services specifically support Nokia Siemens Networks’ installed base of mobile broadband equipment for the operator. Nokia Siemens Networks’ products and services have helped the operator boost network and service performance at an optimal cost of ownership and reduced carbon footprint.

Using its global service delivery model, Nokia Siemens Networks will also provide network optimization, operations and maintenance services remotely from its Global Network Solutions Center (GNSC) in Noida, India.

Sanjay Kapoor, CEO, India and South Asia at Bharti Airtel said, “India started its journey of transformation from voice to data with the deployment of 3G.The data story in the country has just begun and we will witness increasing complexity due to multiplicity of network layers specifically when serving data. It is imperative for any service provider to have a complete end-to-end view to manage voice and data services. This initiative is in line with our strategy to create ubiquitous networks for offering enriched customer experience. Nokia Siemens Networks has been our long standing managed services partner and we are happy to continue our association further.”

“Bharti Airtel was looking for a single managed services partner with multi-vendor capabilities, and Nokia Siemens Networks meets all the requirements perfectly. This deal will allow Bharti to simplify processes and improve end-to-end network and service performance,” added Ashish Chowdhary, head of customer operations Asia and Middle East at Nokia Siemens Networks. “More importantly, stringent key performance indicators ensure we’re helping Bharti Airtel deliver an enhanced subscriber experience.”

Nokia Siemens Networks today has more than 360 managed services contracts globally with 180 operators serving close to 700 million subscribers. The new contract with Bharti Airtel allows the company to bring the benefits of its global scale, best practices and innovation to bear, further optimizing the operator’s network operations.

About Bharti Airtel Limited

Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa. In India, the company offers 3G voice & data services, fixed line, high speed broadband, IPTV, DTH, turnkey telecom solutions for enterprises and national & international long distance services to carriers globally. In rest of the geographies it offers mobile voice & high speed wireless internet. Bharti Airtel has been ranked among the six best performing technology companies in world by BusinessWeek. Bharti Airtel had over 241 million customers across its operations at the end of November 2011. To know more please visit, www.airtel.com

About Nokia Siemens Networks

Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of telecommunications services. With its focus on innovation and sustainability, the company provides a complete portfolio of mobile, fixed and converged network technology, as well as professional services including consultancy and systems integration, deployment, maintenance and managed services. It is one of the largest telecommunications hardware, software and professional services companies in the world. Operating in 150 countries, its headquarters are in Espoo, Finland. www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com