Wipro bags Unitech Wireless deal

5 May, 2009, 1534 hrs IST,REUTERS

BANGALORE: A unit of Wipro Ltd, India's No. 3 software services exporter, said it has won a nine-year outsourcing contract from telecom firm Unitech Wireless
Under the agreement, Wipro Infotech will provide a range of information technology services to Unitech Wireless, in which Norwegian telecom group Telenor holds a stake, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. Rohit Chandra, Chief Operating Officer, Unitech Wireless, said, “We are launching a Greenfield telecom operation and want to create a strong customer proposition for our services based business processes aligned with IT. We chose Wipro as our partner because among the service providers in this field, we felt that they brought a unique combination of domain expertise, market knowledge and a customer-centric approach.” Earlier media reports said that India’s third-largest software group had won a Rs 2,500-crore contract from Unitech Wireless to provide IT services to the fledgling mobile operator, pipping rivals including IBM, Tech Mahindra and Tata Consultancy Services, which were vying for the deal. Unitech Wireless has licences to provide telecom services in all of the country’s 22 telecom circles, but is yet to start operations. Telenor bought a 67.25 per cent majority stake from Delhi-based cash-strapped real estate group Unitech in two tranches.