Bharti Airtel today said it has extended its managed services pact with Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) for another five years in eight circles of the country, including Bihar and Jharkhand, Kolkata, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa.
Under this five-year managed services contract, NSN will manage and maintain Airtel's 3G and GSM networks, as well as its enterprise broadband service iWAN (Internet Wireless Access Network), Bharti Airtel said in a statement.
When contacted, Bharti Airtel did not disclose the valuation of the contract. However, according to industry experts, the size of the contract is around $300 million.
The next phase of this managed services relationship will help Bharti Airtel achieve better network efficiency, simplify operations and deliver better quality services, it said.
The other cities where the agreement has been extended are Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mumbai, Orissa and West Bengal.
NSN is already a managed services partner to Bharti Airtel in these eight circles. These services specifically support NSN's installed base of mobile broadband equipment for the operator.
"NSN products and services have helped the operator boost network and service performance at an optimal cost of ownership and reduced carbon footprint," the company said.
Using its global service delivery model, NSN will also provide network optimisation, operations and maintenance services remotely from its Global Network Solutions Centre (GNSC) in Noida, India.
"This initiative is in line with our strategy to create ubiquitous networks for offering an 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 CEO, India and South Asia, Sanjay Kapoor said.
Nokia Siemens Networks today has more than 360 managed services contracts with 180 operators globally 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 optimising the operator's network operations.
"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.
