Airtel has helped TowerVision to deploy cost-effective managed telecom services across 18 offices which handles 8500 sites

While Indian wireless telecom operators are increasing their reach across the country by rolling out wireless infrastructure, it is the tower asset management companies like TowerVision who have to ensure maximum competitiveness by assuring maximum sharing and reduced cost of network expansions to these telecom players. TowerVision provides passive infrastructure to wireless telecom players by facilitating their long term operational needs. The company acquires, develops, maintains and manages assets of telecommunication towers-all while maintaining the highest of standards. The company provides 24x7 preventive and breakdown maintenance and technical support, uninterrupted power supply, service level efficiency and a centralized fault management system.

Business Challenges Faced

The company grew to become a nationwide player in a short spam of 6 years, and faced a lot of challenges to sustain the momentum. These include:

Erratic Communication: TowerVision has 18 offices and 19 warehouses across all the country. Ensuring consistent communication between offices is key for company's success, for which the company needed a communication service provider with national presence.

Losses due to lack of communication: Though TowerVision has 18 offices, its team members work across 8500 sites. In case of weak connectivity or no connectivity, the company had to bear losses due to lack of communication. The company wanted to ensure proper communication among its spread out team via audio-video conferencing facilities, which require higher bandwidth.

Difficulty finding 24x7 customer support: TowerVision has adopted a 'non-linear' business model, wherein, they possess lesser manpower, but aim at higher productivity. They were looking for a communications provider, who would ensure 24x7 technical support without any delay.

Couldn't find a single solution provider to cater to all needs: The company did not want to take different services from different service providers, which would involve dealing with different Service Level Agreements (SLAs), customer care representatives and different cost structures. Along with having nationwide presence, TowerVision was looking for a communication service provider who would offer various solutions like Internet connectivity, audio-video conferencing facilities, baseline connectivity and PRI solutions in one comprehensive package.

TowerVision had approached two vendors to streamline its communications, who carried out their operations at three to four locations. The company had faced problems getting continued connectivity and support. “We were not getting continued connectivity or 24x7 support. There were different service level agreements with each player, with different metrics. It was not easy to maintain different SLAs and metrics for each service, nor was it cost effective, as it required setting up different infrastructures, IT setups, and configurations. For all this, we needed more manpower,” said Sandeep Kumar, Senior Manager IT, TowerVision India Pvt. Ltd.

The Solution

After assessing all major communication services providers, TowerVision decided to partner with airtel, as it offered every solution in a single package.

Initially, TowerVision deployed airtel's services in some of its locations, because it wanted to assess solutions from other vendors as well. Soon, it discovered that the other vendors did not meet all of its requirements, so the company decided to go for all the services and solutions from airtel alone.

According to Kumar of TowerVision, airtel offered the best network infrastructure, and the most secure MPLS connectivity (certified by Cisco). Bharti airtel has optical fiber connectivity spread across across the country's landscape. TowerVision is now able to avail airtel's solutions and services in every location that it's carrying out its business operations.

airtel has also ensured uninterrupted network connectivity across all locations. In case of any glitch in network connectivity, airtel has the required infrastructure to dynamically route all bandwidth through an alternate route leading to an always on network for its customers. This helps TowerVision to resume its regular business operations within few minutes.

At present, TowerVision is using PRI solutions, landline telephone services, leased line services, MPLS solutions, audio conferencing and mobility solutions all from airtel.

Solution Deployed: The company evaluated several vendors extensively and finally decided to go with Bharti airtel for all its requirements. The company has taken PRI solutions, landline telephone services, leased line services, MPLS solutions and audio conferencing and mobility solutions of Bharti airtel.

Salient features of the solution include:

- The best network infrastructure, most secured MPLS connectivity (certified by Cisco).

- Optical fiber connectivity spread across more than 1.3 Lakh kms in the country.

- Assured uninterrupted network connectivity across all locations.Re-routing bandwidth to other lines in case of a glitch in network connectivity.

Business Impact:

- TowerVision is able to save a lot of time, money and other precious resources.

- It is able to utilize its services at all locations and all the locations are well connected.

- The solutions have been cost effective.

- airtel offers multiple services and the status of all the services are maintained in their centralized

management system.

- All solutions are implemented on time which helps TowerVision to keep up with its business commitments

Business Impact

TowerVision is now able to save a lot of time, money and resources after implementing airtel's services. It is able to utilize its services at all locations because of well spread airtel's network backbone.

As per TowerVision, the solutions are cost effective. “If you compare the cost of services offered by airtel and other major vendors, there would hardly be any difference, but if you compare it in terms of meeting your daily business requirements, and QoS, airtel will emerge as the winner” explains Kumar.

Bharti airtel offers multiple services and the status of all services are maintained in their centralized management system. Through a centralized dashboard, they can see the status of each and every service availed. And all solutions are implemented on time, which helps TowerVision to keep up with its business commitments.

Future Plans

In future, TowerVision is also planning to implement video conferencing solutions. “We tried online solutions for video conferencing but those are not matching our business requirements. Video conferencing will play a major role in our business in terms of cost and time efficiency. The implementation of video conferencing is not a big challenge for us because we are using leased line services and have enough bandwidth provided by airtel. We don't have any issue with connectivity and IT infrastructure. We will soon have video conferencing facilities at all locations,” says Kumar.

This case study of TowerVision (I) was jointly done by CIOL & PCQuest.