Tata Communications has emerged from its role as an incumbent Indian service provider to become a globally recognized provider of network connectivity services such as MPLS, Ethernet and IP transit as well as managed hosting in data centers, voice, data, and video.

It was also rated as a strong performer in the Forrester Wave on Managed Global MPLS Q1 2013– a rather impressive showing for a service provider that only just joined this year’s edition of the MPLS Wave report.

More importantly, it has started to become relevant to enterprise network connectivity buyers across Asia Pacific, which is detailed in my report, “Tata Communications Emerges As A Leading Connectivity Provider In Asia Pacific”.

What It Means

  • Tata Communications is starting to measure up to global carriers. I’ve received a number of inquiries on Tata Communications’ regional and global carrier wholesale strategy, as well as its market focus. This increased interest among Forrester clients is a sign that Tata Communications is getting some things right in its carrier business, as the aforementioned global MPLS report makes clear. Its continual network and cable investments are paying off for the service provider.
  • It is emerging as a regional enterprise network services challenger. Somewhat surprising given the company’s carrier heritage, Tata Communications has actually been providing network connectivity to enterprises since 2007 (e.g. Janet (UK)). The operator has grown its regional presence with an international headquarters in Singapore, and has also built points of presence in Australia, China, Japan, Taiwan, and neighboring Southeast Asian countries. Tata Communications will appeal to enterprises expanding to emerging Asian markets, and looking for an alternative provider.
  • Tata Communications’ enterprise credibility is getting recognized. The Formula One partnership was a major coup and underscored Tata Communications’ importance as a network connectivity provider. The Formula One group businesses and race locations use Tata Comm’s Global MPLS Network, and the Formula One management's IT infrastructure and Formula1.com are co-located and hosted in Tata Communications' data centers. On the back of that, Tata Comms announced a deal with MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS to deliver trackside connectivity, enabling the team to transfer vital real-time data from the Silver Arrow cars at any Grand Prix location to its headquarters in the UK.

Tata Communications' strength is in providing managed network services. In other areas, the company must still ramp up its capabilities to address the needs of enterprise customers. For instance, Tata Communications offers public cloud services, but these services are geared towards an entry level, ‘pay-as-you-use’ compute and storage model. Its hybrid and private cloud solutions are available on a customised basis. More unified communications services are expected to be rolled out in the coming months.

With that in mind, if your enterprise is expanding in Asia, consider Tata Communications for connectivity services and voice connections. For other services like IaaS and enterprise video services, however, continue monitoring Tata Communication’s progress in delivering the capabilities and services necessary to meet the needs of enterprise accounts.