Indian mobile giant agrees ten-year contract with IBM to deliver mobile Internet services across the Continent

Indian company Bharti Airtel has finalised a ten-year outsourcing agreement with IBM in a move which will see the telecoms giant overhaul its mobile internet operations to 16 African territories.

IBM’s role in the agreement is to ‘consolidate and transform the 16 different IT environments across Airtel's African operations into an integrated IT system.’ This management of applications will cover data centre operations, servers, storage and desktop services.

Chief Executive Officer and Joint Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, Manoj Kohli commented on the details of its agreement with IBM.

“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,” said Kohli.

Bharti Airtel believes that increased mobile communications means Africa's economic development will grow rapidly. In a Deloitte report, every 10% jump in mobile services is estimated to drive a 1.2% increase in gross domestic product. The company has 40 million customers across Africa and looks to target 100 million by the end of 2013.