Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa, has outsourced its network operations and maintenance in eight circles of the country to Nokia Siemens.

These circles are Bihar and Jharkhand; Kolkata; Gujarat; Maharashtra and Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh; Mumbai; Orissa and West Bengal.

As per the agreement the next phase of managed services relationship will help Bharti Airtel achieve better network efficiency, simplify operations and deliver better quality services.

The 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. 

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. 

“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.” Sanjay Kapoor, CEO, India and South Asia at Bharti Airtel said Sanjay Kapoor, CEO, India and South Asia at Bharti Airtel.

“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.

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.