By IANS
Mumbai : The Tata Group Wednesday brought all its telephony services and brands into one holding company, Tata Communications Ltd (TCL).
Speaking from Delhi, an official spokesperson of the company told IANS that TCL would integrate former VSNL, VSNL International, Teleglobe, Tata Indicom Enterprise Business Unit (TIBEU) and Cipris brands.
In the next three years, TCL plans to invest over $2 billion to further fuel its global expansion plans.
The spokesperson said TCL will leverage its Tata Global Network (TGN,) one of the most advanced submarine cable and Internet protocol (IP) networks, coupled with experience from Asia and Africa sectors to focus on IP, MPLS (Multi-protocol Label Switching) and Ethernet services.
According to an official communiqué issued Wednesday to Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the company is in the process of completing additional submarine cables systems connecting sectors in Asia, Middle East and Africa to Europe to meet the demands over the next five to eight years.
The move to put all the subsidiary companies under one basket indicates that TCL will soon be going for an initial public offer (IPO).
According to the statement, the launch is the culmination of recent international investments that have helped in expanding the company’s reach and ability to deliver IP-leveraged communications solutions.
TCL chairman Subodh Bhargava said in the statement: “Last year TCL had announced significant investments in India, intra-Asia, Middle East and Africa.
“The TGN-Intra Asia and TGN-Eurasia cables, along with the company’s existing multi-terabit capacities across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, will ensure diverse and reliable intercontinental connectivity.”
Moreover, he said that TCL intends to expand its global MPLS and Ethernet networks. The company’s Wimax network rollout in India will add to the speed and connectivity.
TCL chief executive officer and managing director, N. Srinath, expressing happiness over the launch of the new brand, spoke about the expansion in South Africa, saying that Tata Communications’ strategic investment in South African operator Neotel will help in fortifying the anchorage “to build an African footprint”.
TCL president of global data and mobility services, Vinod Kumar, said that the integration would bring a more direct affiliation with different industries in which Tata Group leads.
Global technology and connectivity market research leader Yankee Group’s vice-president of research, Camille Mendler said on the integration: “The next trillion dollars to be made in global communications will depend heavily on emerging markets where Tata Communications is already a leading player.