Bharti airtel, IBM finalise agreement

IBM plans to consolidate and transform the 16 different IT environments across airtel's African operations into an integrated IT system, and will oversee the management of all applications, data centre operations, servers, storage and desktop services.

Customer support applications

The agreement calls for IBM to provide customer support applications that include customer relationship management, billing, and self-service that aim to empower customers and assist airtel in delivering 2G and 3G mobile services. In addition, IBM plans to deploy a media management system to offer content such as music and video over mobile devices, while simultaneously facilitating the growth of the application developer community in Africa, which will enable airtel to tap new sources of revenue.

Speaking on the partnership, Manoj Kohli, CEO (international) and joint MD, airtel said, "Our relationship with IBM is catalytic in its delivery of information and communication technology solutions across Africa. The deployment of cutting-edge technology will provide a positive multiplier effect to our customers, employees and business partners through applications that deliver enhanced services, data and processes in real-time. An empowered ecosystem will manifest in quick delivery of solutions that meet the evolving needs of Africa's consumers."

Demand for new services

"This agreement with airtel further fortifies our business partnership and efforts in developing smarter telecommunications networks in remote areas of the world," said Bruno Di Leo, GM, IBM Growth Markets. "With more than half a billion mobile subscriptions and significant annual growth, Africa represents 10% of the global market. The demand for new services - such as mobile internet access - spurs the need for a developed network of telecommunications connectivity. IBM is helping airtel tap this growth by accelerating the rollout of an enhanced consumer experience across the continent."