India

India is a key market for BT. We are one of the largest service providers in the country, focusing on delivering global services including voice, CRM, ATM (asynchronous transfer mode communications), FR (Frame Relay) and MPLS (multi-protocol label switching) to support the needs and requirements of our multi-site corporate customers. BT provides market access into India through a unique network which is connected to our comprehensive global network via Asia Pacific, Europe and North America.

BT’s International Media Connectivity Network Service enables media and broadcast companies to benefit from Network Convergence, collaborative working and efficiency, the ability to reach more platforms seamlessly and cost effectively, as well as resilient disaster recovery and continuity plans.

Our portfolio of networked IT services is also aimed at carriers and communications/infrastructure providers, drawing on the expertise, experience, methodologies and tools that BT has accrued in the deployment of its “21st Century Network” (21CN).

We have strong growth plans for our Indian operations, predicting that revenues from India will be US$250 million by 2009.

In February 2007, BT was granted international long distance and national long distance license by India’s Department of Telecommunications, enabling BT Telecom India to offer services for the first time directly to multi-site corporate customers in India.

In June 2007, BT finalised the acquisition of i2i Enterprise Pvt Ltd, a Mumbai-based enterprise services company specialising in internet protocol (IP) communications services for major Indian and global multinational companies. Combining the complementary assets and expertise of the two companies enables BT to become the biggest foreign global carrier operating in India today.

Infrastructure and resources

BT has a network presence in eight key business locations across India: Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Noida, Gurgaon, Pune, Chennai and Kolkata. From these points of presence we can connect customers to our fully managed global IP network.

Together with HCL Technologies and Progeon, a subsidiary of Infosys, BT has opened next-generation contact centres in Noida and Bangalore. They provide a range of conferencing, directory and consumer services to the Indian market.

Partnerships and joint ventures

BT works with five primary partners in India – Tech Mahindra, HCL, Infosys, TCS and Wipro. We also have close relationships with other leading local providers and participate in a number of joint venture companies that serve the Indian market.

BT also contracted with Infosys to set up an Asia Pacific regional Customer Management Centre in Pune, India. This centre opened in January 2005 and addresses the service management needs of BT’s multi-site corporate customers within India as well as across the Asia Pacific region.

BT’s investment in India

India is a valuable source of skills and expertise for BT. We spend approximately US$500 million in India each year, which is about 2 per cent of India’s US$25 billion IT and BPO export market, and we expect this to increase in the coming years.

BT has offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata. BT currently employs more than 20,000 people across the Asia Pacific region (directly and indirectly), most of whom are based in India, and we are looking to increase our Indian employee strength by hiring an additional 6,000 people within the next few years.

BT holds a 35 per cent stake in Tech Mahindra (formerly known as Mahindra BT), a joint venture with Mahindra & Mahindra. MBT was set up in 1987 to provide value-added software and service solutions to substantially reduce management and maintenance costs for IT systems. The company today serves customers throughout Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and the Middle East, and is the seventh largest exporter of software services from India.

BT Group CTO - IPR Licensing & Innovation Scouting in India

BT is strongly committed to research and innovation, investing millions of dollars in research each year for the benefit of its customers, employees and shareholders, mainly in the areas of Broadband, Mobility, Intelligent Systems and ICT. In India, BT’s focus is primarily on Technology Licensing and Innovation Scouting operations. Technology Licensing aims to commercialise, through licensing to external companies, those BT innovations which are protected by patents, copyright, design rights and know-how. Innovation Scouting aims to identify new innovative and disruptive technologies, business propositions and market trends in India, and works in association with global venture capital firms and entrepreneurs to build innovation-based strategic partnerships globally.

BT also supports a number of community investment programmes in India

Together with Katha, a Delhi-based charity, BT set up the Katha Information Technology and E-commerce School (KITES) to help teach children from the poorest communities. KITES has equipped over 3,000 children with ICT skills ranging from basic computing skills to complex software programming.

Lifelines India helps everyone to become part of the digital networked economy. Together with Cisco Systems, BT provides funding, and commercial and technical expertise.

BT helped set up the BT & St. Crispin’s IT Training Centre, a state-of-the-art computer lab working to train 1,400 children over the next three years. Students will work towards graduation by earning their school and computer specialist certificates.