Do you remember the “multi-billion dollar” deal that IBM signed with the Bharti Airtel, some five years ago? Well, history repeats itself, but this time, IBM signed a five-year agreement with Vodafone Idea Limited, India’s second-largest telecom player. This announcement is also an indication of increased technology adoption by businesses to improve customer services and customer engagement. The partnership also brings in IBM expertise to consolidate the infrastructure of the two telecom companies (Vodafone India Ltd. and Idea Cellular Ltd.) who announced their merger last year.
The multi-million-dollar five-year agreement will deliver an enhanced customer experience to millions of connected consumers and businesses in India. In addition, this engagement will also contribute to Vodafone Idea’s merger synergy objectives by reducing its IT-related costs.
IBM will build for Vodafone Idea a hybrid cloud-based digital platform to enable more intimate engagement with its over 387 million subscribers (as of Dec. 31, 2018), enhancing business efficiency, agility and scale plus simplification of its business processes. This new infrastructure platform will help remove constraints to the exponential growth of data usage driven by increasing consumption of video, streaming and digital commerce.
The use of IBM’s Hybrid and Multicloud, analytics and AI security capabilities will assist in accelerating Vodafone Idea’s progression to an open, agile and secure IT environment. It will also provide a platform for fast-track joint initiatives in AI and IOT.
Vodafone Idea’s customers, from consumers to enterprises, will have to embrace the challenge of digital disruption over the next few years. We believe that this agreement builds the foundation for both companies to address these emerging opportunities while ensuring a continued high level of service for its customers.
“Consumers have come to expect mobile networks that effortlessly meet their data demands providing the consistency and flexibility required in today’s era of interconnectedness,” said Juan Zufiria, IBM Senior Vice President of Global Technology Services. “Our collaboration with Vodafone Idea will take advantage of Hybrid and Multicloud, Analytics and AI, to enable Vodafone Idea to further differentiate itself in the market, including by leveraging the convergence of Network and IT in the Cloud.”
IBM will consolidate applications, and infrastructure including data centres, disaster recovery centres, and further accelerate existing cloud usage. Solutions deployed by Vodafone India and Idea Cellular earlier will be merged and big data capabilities will be enhanced.
Vodafone Idea will also leverage dynamic automation and robotic process automation to drive efficiency and standardization across IT operations. AI and machine learning based Cognitive Solutions aim to provide Vodafone Idea with a secure environment ensuring regulatory compliance, intelligent threat detection, and data protection.
IBM is also supporting Vodafone Idea with an option of extended flexible payment plan structure for the term of the contract through IBM Global Financing, its wholly owned subsidiary.
IBM and Vodafone Idea Limited signed this transaction in IBM’s first quarter of 2019.
