Srinath Narasimhan, CEO Tata Communications, announced at Tata’ s Global Media Summit in London that the company plans to chase IT opportunities in the west of Africa following the launch of the West African Cable System (WACS), writes Business Day daily.
WACS high-speed communications cable runs from South Africa to the UK and is expected to become operational next year.
“There’s not the infrastructure in place yet to deliver a full portfolio of services in West Africa. But we will have that once the WACS cable comes into operation”, said Narasimhan.
The carrier hasn’t made any substantial investment in Africa so far, apart from a 56% stake in South Africa’s Neotel. Last year, Tata was part of the consortium who established and funded the Seacom cable, an opportunity to gain access into more African markets like Kenya and Tanzania.
The company plans to set up more data and managed services such as telepresence, an advanced form of teleconferencing, which would also boost Neotel’s offerings.
Tata Communication operates 13 locations worldwide, including Neotel in Johannesburg, South Africa. This year, the company plans to expand to 25 more locations.
