Indian CSP Reliance Communications has announced an end-to-end network managed services contract with Alcatel-Lucent. The agreement is aimed at delivering superior customer experience in Eastern and Southern India from now until 2020.
The contract which extends Reliance Communications’ existing relationship with Alcatel-Lucent’s for over US$ 1 billion, will deliver world-class, seamless voice and data communications services to Reliance Communications customers.
This is India’s first fully integrated strategic agreement and one of just-a-few globally, to meet the fast evolving customer demand for communications applications and services in one of the world’s most dynamic telecom markets.
Alcatel-Lucent will enhance Reliance Communications’ operations and uncover synergies between the CSP’s hitherto independent wireless and wireline teams to form a single network management organisation. Optimised integration of resources will help Reliance Communications to strengthen its focus on growing its business, with top-of-the-line services to customers. Alcatel-Lucent also will drive a standardisation of the tools, processes and best practices that are applied across Reliance Communications’ businesses.
To enable the new model, Alcatel-Lucent will set up and operate next-generation OSS and introduce advanced real-time optimisation tools to improve network performance across Reliance’s wireless, wireline, long-distance, fiber and utilities’ functions. Reliance Communications and Alcatel-Lucent will work together to create the pathway required by the emerging demands for data-driven and multiple device-led usage of communication solutions and applications by Indian telecom customers.
“We are happy to announce our new partnership with Alcatel-Lucent, which is a transformative leap from the limited scope and vision of traditional outsourcing of services,” said Gurdeep Singh, chief executive of the wireless business at Reliance Communications. “This will enable Reliance Communications to take the lead in offering next generation telecom solutions that will meet and exceed the expectations of our customers, and help them to transit from voice-led usage to a seamless data experience across multiple devices and platforms.”
Rajeev Singh-Molares, president of Asia-Pacific at Alcatel-Lucent, added: “This business association is an extension of our long-standing relationship with Reliance Communications, and our commitment to India. It also demonstrates our renewed focus on managed services as we apply greater selectivity on more value-added contracts. The enormous scope of this agreement will bring a wide variety of skills, expertise and hands-on know-how that we can leverage for the benefit of others.”
