The Hindu Business Line : Nokia Siemens Network bullish on India

Speaking to newspersons from India at `CommunicAsia 2007', an international event-cum-seminar on information communication technologies, Mr Rajeev Suri, Head of Asia Pacific Region, NSN, said the vendor (network provider) -operator (mobile services provider) relationship in the telecom industry was changing and the two parties were working closely to achieve results.

He shared the example of how NSN has built and operated Aircel Cellular's greenfield GSM network in Kolkata (that can also aid 3G and WiMAX implementation) for about Rs 300 crore.

Similarly, when a new mobile services provider wanted to launch operations in Indonesia, the company suggested possible cities for launch and coverage, bought base station sites and built a `lean' network.

"In India, we see opportunities in areas like network optimisation, future network architecture (convergence of fixed line and mobile architecture), and network allocation issues such as bandwidth allotted for voice and data," he said.

NSN is working on `flat line' solutions for its network architecture, which aims to develop one switch for fixed line, 2G and 3G networks. At present, different switches are required to switch a user between different networks.

Other revenue areas

As network equipment costs continue to fall, the company has been forced to look at other areas of revenue such as providing information technology solutions (related to infrastructure) for Internet companies and Internet service providers. These will include security products and solutions concerning bandwidth and processing power.

"The IT and network gap in companies is diminishing. Today, infrastructure is a key component of any future strategy. So it makes sense for us to develop IT expertise to leverage our existing telecom expertise," said Mr Jorg Erlemeier, Head, Services, Asia Pacific, NSN. To do this, the company will look at acquisitions, joint ventures and collaborations with IT companies in this area of business.

"We could collaborate with HP, IBM or Cisco on a project basis. We will also look at acquiring companies that will complement our business, besides entering into joint ventures," he said.

Additionally, the company also hired "hundreds of people with IT expertise" in India last year and will continue doing so, Mr Erlemeier said without sharing any numbers.

`Nokia Maps' coming soon

Want to get around in India without maps or having to ask locals for directions? One does not need a car with a global positioning system (GPS), a mobile phone will do.

Mobile devices maker Nokia will soon launch `Nokia Maps' in India. The application, currently available in European countries, guides users to their destination through voice and video support in real time.

Mr Ralph Eric Kunz, Vice-President, Multimedia Experiences, Nokia, told Business Line that `Nokia Maps' would be designed and implemented in five Indian metros, but did not disclose which city would see the first implementation.

The application designed for Singapore was demonstrated at `Nokia Connection 2007', a seminar-cum-exhibition showcasing the company's latest offerings. With different offerings to suit pedestrians, car drivers, explorers and `well wishers' (those wanting to pass on some parts of the application to their friends), maps could be downloaded using a mobile phone without accessing the Internet, Mr Kunz said on the sidelines of the demonstration.

Mobile servers

Users can access `mobile servers' and not the Internet (as is common), to download the application. The maps can be synchronised between handsets and laptops or desktop computers. What is more, a 4 GB memory is sufficient to cover the entire world on one handset.

Currently, supported by Nokia's S60 devices, maps can be downloaded free of cost, while use of navigation features would be charged, Mr Kunz said.

For instance, the application is available in Germany for a three-year subscription costing 70 (about Rs 3,850), which is one-third the price of a standalone navigational device, he said. He did not disclose the possible tariffs for India, saying the application was operator independent.

"The aim is to make it affordable so that other content builders can build on this platform," he said. A case in point is Nokia's search application that hunts for locations in a city and shares the relevant details.

The company, in collaboration with India's directory search provider Infomedia, launched this offering last year so that users of its N-Series devices could access localised search results. Data on the user base for the application was not shared by the company.

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