Verizon Business expands presence in India

OCTOBER 14, 2008 -- Verizon Business (search for Verizon Business) says it is significantly expanding its presence in India to support the direct delivery of advanced telecommunications services to multinational companies with operations in India, as well as to India-based multinationals. 

Following receipt of international and national long-distance licenses in early 2008, Verizon Business is now activating private IP nodes in the major Indian business centers of Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi. Offering customers a direct, secure, high-performance link to the Verizon Business global multi-protocol label switching (search for MPLS) network, these nodes complement Verizon Business' existing Indian operations to provide diverse and redundant connectivity, says the carrier.

In addition, Verizon Business is investing in local service and support capabilities to directly deliver its portfolio of next-generation services to customers. India-based customers can now benefit from enhanced network-management capabilities, improved network resilience and diversity, and local, in-country billing in the local currency, notes Verizon.

"For many of our customers, India is a key strategic business location that plays an increasingly critical role in supporting their global operations," reports Blair Crump, Verizon Business group president, international and premier accounts. "Verizon Business' core strategy is always to invest in unsurpassed network and human capabilities to support our customers' business growth, and India is no exception."

"We are committed to giving our customers a consistent, high-quality experience wherever they partner with us around the world, and our investments in India enhance our ability to do this in the local market," Crump adds. "We recognize India's pivotal role in the global economy and are committed to continuing to enhance our presence in the country to help our customers achieve their goals."

Thanks to its new nodes, Verizon Business now offers its customers in India direct access to Verizon Private IP. The service is a network-based, virtual private network (VPN) that provides the foundation for automating business processes and collaboration between companies, including e-commerce, customer relationship management, video and net conferencing, and shared intranets and extranets. The service offers customers scalable and flexible network connections with integrated performance and traffic-management capabilities, says the carrier.

"Verizon Business already works with many of the leading players in the Indian market, and by enhancing our capabilities locally and globally, we are ensuring that we can continue to support their expanding business needs," contends John Samuel, president of Verizon Business India. "Multinational customers' business success relies on globally consistent, secure, high-quality communications services supported by reliable, diverse, and redundant network connectivity. That is what Verizon Business delivers, in India and around the globe."

Verizon says it is already well-established in the Indian market. The carrier has offices in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi; Verizon Data Services India employs more than 4,000 people at its IT Center of Excellence in Chennai and Hyderabad, performing a variety of software development, product design, coding, and testing functions for Verizon's global operations. Verizon Business also holds an Internet service provider license in India and has various local ISP facilities. 

Verizon Business is the only U.S. consortium member of the SEA-ME-WE-4 undersea cable network system, which provides diverse connectivity from India to Europe and Asia. The system, which spans 20,000 km (12,000 miles), lands in two locations in India and reaches 14 countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Western Europe. Verizon Business also announced in May its participation in the Europe India Gateway (EIG) Consortium, which is building a next-generation undersea optical cable system connecting Europe, the Middle East, and India. The 15,000-km (9,000-mile) cable network system will provide a second, diverse route from India to Europe, as well as direct access to Verizon Business' network in Europe.

Verizon Business India is the trading name of a joint venture between Verizon Business and the Videocon Group of Mumbai. Verizon Business holds a 74% stake in the joint venture, called Verizon Communications India Private Limited and doing business as Verizon Business India; Videocon Group holds the remaining 26%.

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