Bharti selects IBM, Tech Mahindra, Spanco for Zain operations
26 Oct 2010
India's top mobile operator Bharti Airtel Ltd has chosen IBM, Tech Mahindra and Spanco to handle customer service for its newly acquired mobile networks in 16 African countries, Bharti said in a statement on Monday.
Financial details were not disclosed but an agreement is expected to be finalised soon, the statement said.
Under the deal, Bharti will outsource core customer service operations such as call centres and back office functions related to its mobile networks across Africa to the three firms.
This follows the selection of IBM in September to manage the computing technology and services running Bharti's mobile networks across 16 African countries.
Bharti, which acquired Kuwait-based Zain's African business in June for $9 billion, has over 40 million customers across Africa and is targeting 100 million by 2013, the statement said.
"The outsourcing of customer service operations will play a key role in making Bharti Airtel competitive in Africa as it focuses on making mobile communications affordable," it added.