Tata Communications

Citycom has been able to accumulate savings of up to 40%

World’s largest wholesale voice carrier

Tata Communications Ltd’s network handles 1 out of every 10 international calls, connects more than 70% of the world’s mobile carriers and handles more than 24% of global internet traffic.

Since switching to Citycom Managed Services, Tata Communications has experienced significant improvements to its mobile telephony operations.UK and international data usage has tripled while overall costs have plummeted 28%. Contrasted against pro-rata costs before Citycom’s Managed Services, the savings exceed 40%. However, the benefits go far beyond cost reduction.

company overview

  • Parent organization: Tata Group
  • $3.2 billion in annual revenue in FY13-14
  • 77% of revenue generated outside of India – 8,000 employees globally\
  • World’s Largest wholesale voice carrier
  • 44 data centres and colocation centres
  • 1,600 telcos use TATA Communications’ network to connect to 70% of the world s mobile network operators
  • Tata’s Global Network powers Formula One Management’s diverse global operations

the problem

Tata Communications and Vodafone both hold simultaneous roles as each other’s customer, vendor, and partner. But like all relationships, there can be problems when critical needs and expectations are not being met. Vodafone lacked the people and organic systems to support Tata’s changing requirements. Tata Communications was being hampered by mobile roaming costs, support issues, and missing out on business opportunities. The daily task of keeping every team member connected, productive, and on budget was frustrating management. Craig Kendall, Tata’s European Facilities Manager commented in an interview, “We lost confidence in Vodafone’s ability to understand our needs. There was a massive disconnect. Vodafone gets 3 out of 5 stars. But those 2 missing stars cost us a lot of money.”

“The migration was very successful and executed to the letter….”

CRAIG KENDALL, EUROPEAN FACILITIES MANAGER TATA COMMUNICATIONS

the solution

Citycom’s first recommendation was a Managed Services Plan. This means taking the best features a provider offers, stripping away unnecessary costs, and optimising each feature so it performs at optimal levels. Next, Citycom adds personalised and new customised features which the provider doesn’t offer. With Managed Services, Citycom created a customised plan which met Tata’s specific requirements. Tata’s international roaming spend had been difficult to control. But with a new bespoke tariff and spend alerts, costs became more predictable. Device migration was executed with flawless precision at Tata’s London office where Citycom held a ‘porting event’ for Tata team members who exchanged older mobile devices for newer smart phones.

“Contrasted against pro-rata costs before Citycom’s Managed Services, the savings exceed 40%.”

VINOD KAKKAR, MANAGING DIRECTOR CITYCOM

The results

Citycom delivered the flexibility Tata Communications needed to change their plan as their needs changed - not when their contract changed.

Citycom flattened Tata's spend wave.

Citycom constructed a bespoke tariff that gave Tata Communications the flexibility to make changes without driving up costs.

Tata management no longer needed the extra personnel to manage all the technical support issues.

Migration was handled carefully resulting in 100% user satisfaction and zero disruption.