The Hindu Business Line : IBM wins $150-m Bharti Airtel contract

New Delhi, Jan. 20 In a bid to boost its triple play platform, Bharti Airtel has awarded a $150-million contract to IBM to provide IT solutions and services to support broadcasting services such as DTH and IPTV.

Bharti had already outsourced its IT requirement for the telecom business and the new deal is aimed at providing a one-stop experience spanning mobile, PC and television.

IBM will bring in its global expertise in areas including the telemedia business, distribution, enterprise segments and business resilience. The new agreement is estimated at $150 million.

On the new agreement, Dr Jai Menon, Director-IT & Innovation, Bharti Airtel, said, “We intend to continue to build upon the success of the principle of utility computing, on which we had structured our partnership with IBM.”

According to Mr Ramesh Awtaney, Vice-President, Communications Sector, Asia-Pacific, IBM, “We are geared to support the growth and expansion of Bharti Airtel and will continue to bring in global best practices and innovative solutions.”

With its entry into the telemedia business of DTH and IPTV, Bharti Airtel will now provide the entire spectrum of services to its customers.

IBM will implement IT systems that will enable Bharti to launch differentiated services in these new thrust areas.

This will also help in leveraging the current channels of Bharti Airtel to deliver new services.