Tata Communications Transformation Services (TCTS) Starts Management of SEACOM Cable System Linking the World and Eastern & Southern Africa

By Prne, Gaea News Network
Sunday, September 6, 2009

MUMBAI, India - Tata Communications Transformation Services Limited (TCTS), a leading provider of business transformation, telecom BPO and consultancy services, announced that they have launched NOC operations, subsequent to SEACOM commissioning the 1.28 Terabytes per second (Tb/s), 17,000-kilometre cable system. TCTS NOC has started managing the network administration, operations and maintenance functions of this SEACOM cable system which connects the African continent to the rest of the world.

Leveraging its parent company’s (Tata Communications) expertise in the sub-sea domain, TCTS will help SEACOM enhance connectivity for businesses based out of Europe, Asia and India by providing them with cable and capacity options into Africa and vice versa; an option never available before.

SEACOM will ensure a robust fulfillment and assurance experience to its customers through TCTS’ offshore global delivery centres, which provide cost-effective 24X7 service delivery to customers across the world.

The SEACOM cable system enables Tata Communications to provide fully integrated network services from South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya to its networks in Europe, Asia and India.

Besides high capacity international bandwidth, enterprises and carriers using SEACOM can enjoy delay-free voice and video services made possible by reduced Round Trip Delay (RTD).

“We are proud to be associated with the SEACOM cable project that will bring much needed connectivity into Africa. With our expertise in managing operations of submarine and terrestrial networks, we can bring process efficiencies to SEACOM and as a result transform the businesses and lives of the local people,” said V S Shridhar, Chief Operating Officer of TCTS.

The launch of SEACOM augments the SAT3 and SAFE cables in West Africa and South Africa. This gives telcos in Africa the ability to provide a fully redundant service by supplying access via two routes to anywhere in the world, and can reach Europe, for the first time, via multiple routes.

“Before the development of this cable system, most east and southern African nations relied on small and costly satellite circuits to meet their international network requirements,” said Brian Herlihy, SEACOM CEO. “SEACOM’s establishment marks the first step in meeting the region’s fast rising demand for bandwidth and connectivity and we expect many more services to be rolled out as a result of SEACOM’s arrival. Businesses using the SEACOM network will truly benefit from TCTS’ expertise in managing all business and network operations as well as the leverage offered through the broader Tata Communications group of businesses.”

For more information on Tata Communications Transformation Services, visit www.tatacommunications-ts.com

About Tata Communications

Tata Communications is a leading global provider of a new world of communications. With a leadership position in emerging markets, Tata Communications leverages its advanced solutions capabilities and domain expertise across its global and pan-India network to deliver managed solutions to multi-national enterprises, service providers and Indian consumers.

The Tata Global Network includes one of the most advanced and largest submarine cable networks, a Tier-1 IP network, with connectivity to more than 200 countries across 400 PoPs, and nearly 1 million square feet of data center and collocation space worldwide.

Tata Communications’ depth and breadth of reach in emerging markets includes leadership in Indian enterprise data services, leadership in global international voice, and strategic investments in operators in South Africa (Neotel), Sri Lanka (Tata Communications Lanka Limited), Nepal (United Telecom Limited), and subject to approval by the Chinese government, China (China Enterprise Communications).

Tata Communications Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India and its ADRs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. (NYSE: TCL)

www.tatacommunications.com

About Tata Communications Transformation Services

Tata Communications Transformation Services Limited (TCTS), a 100% subsidiary of Tata Communications Ltd., provides leading business transformation, telecom BPO and consultancy services to telecommunication companies around the world. TCTS delivers solutions for all stages of the carrier lifecycle including but not limited to network engineering and design, implementation and operations functions.

TCTS is a part of the $62.5 billion Tata Group. The Tata Group comprises 98 operating companies in seven business sectors, with presence in more than 80 countries across six continents and has a shareholder base of over 2.9 million. TCTS leverages the market expertise of the Tata Group’s global telecom operation capabilities and globally established IT, process and consulting skills.

TCTS is headquartered in Mumbai, India with global offices in Europe and North America. TCTS has two world-class ISO 27001 & PAS 99 certified delivery centres in Pune and Chennai, operating independently from its parent, preserving full confidentiality of all its customers’ business processes. TCTS carries the rich traditions and business ethics of the Tata companies that are also adopted by Tata Communications, its parent organization.

About SEACOM

SEACOM, which is privately funded and over three quarter African owned, will assist communication carriers in south and east Africa through the sale of wholesale international capacity to global networks via India and Europe. The undersea fibre optic cable system will provide African retail carriers with equal and open access to inexpensive bandwidth, removing the international infrastructure bottleneck and supporting east and southern African economic growth.

SEACOM will be the first cable to provide broadband to countries in east Africa which, at the moment, rely entirely on expensive satellite connections. Within Africa, South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania and Kenya are inter-connected via a protected ring structure. Additionally, a second express fibre pair is provided from South Africa to Kenya. These two fibre pairs have a combined capacity of 1.28Tbs. Express fibre pairs are also provided from Kenya to France into a PoP in Marseilles, and from Tanzania to India into the PoP in Mumbai. SEACOM has procured fibre capacity from Marseilles to London as part of the SEACOM network.

SEACOM’s enormous capacity will enable high definition TV, peer to peer networks, IPTV, and surging Internet demand. Pricing will be significantly lower than current satellite or fibre pricing.

SEACOM will be ready to serve southern and east African markets from July 2009, well in time to meet the bandwidth needs of the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa, and the growing requirements of the economies in the countries it will serve.

SEACOM is 76.25% African owned by:

- Industrial Promotion Services (26.56%), an arm of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development - Venfin Limited (25%) - Convergence Partners (12.5%) - Shanduka Group (12.5%)

The remaining 23.44% is held by Herakles Telecom LLC.

Forward-looking and cautionary statements

Certain words and statements in this release concerning Tata Communications and its prospects, and other statements, including those relating to Tata Communications’ expected financial position, business strategy, the future development of Tata Communications’ operations, and the general economy in India, are forward-looking statements. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including financial, regulatory and environmental, as well as those relating to industry growth and trend projections, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of Tata Communications, or industry results, to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from such forward-looking statements include, among others, failure to increase the volume of traffic on Tata Communications’ network; failure to develop new products and services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; failure to successfully complete commercial testing of new technology and information systems to support new products and services, including voice transmission services; failure to stabilize or reduce the rate of price compression on certain of the company’s communications services; failure to integrate strategic acquisitions and changes in government policies or regulations of India and, in particular, changes relating to the administration of Tata Communications’ industry; and, in general, the economic, business and credit conditions in India. Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from such forward-looking statements, many of which are not in Tata Communications’ control, include, but are not limited to, those risk factors discussed in Tata Communications’ various filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Tata Communications is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, updates or alters its forward-looking statements.

Media Contacts: Pooja Prabhu Tata Communications Transformation Services +91-92233-16001 pooja.prabhu@tatacommunications.com Danny Lim Hill & Knowlton Singapore for Tata Communications +65-6390-3360 danny.lim@hillandknowlton.com.sg

Source: Tata Communications Transformation Services Limited (TCTS)

Media Contacts: Pooja Prabhu, Tata Communications Transformation Services, +91-92233-16001, pooja.prabhu at tatacommunications.com; Danny Lim, Hill & Knowlton Singapore for Tata Communications, +65-6390-3360, danny.lim at hillandknowlton.com.sg

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