Nokia Siemens Networks today announced the start of operations for its Global Network Operations Center (GNOC)* in Sao Paulo, Brazil. NII Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: NIHD) which operates under the NEXTEL brand in Latin America, is the first operator to use the GNOC to centralize its network operations. Nokia Siemens Networks currently manages operations for NII’s multi-vendor networks across five countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru. The GNOC will allow Nokia Siemens Networks to consolidate network operation activities across the five countries, providing economies of scale and improving network efficiency.
Other operators in the region are expected to be able to benefit from the GNOC and its remote service delivery model. The center has the potential to serve as a “near shore” location for operators in the Americas time zone. The 16,000 square feet facility will initially have150 expert technicians with the capacity to host up to 300.
“This new facility now joins our group of GNOC’s globally, providing increased efficiency in network operations for operators in Latin America and worldwide,” said Armando Almeida, head of Global Services at Nokia Siemens Networks. “Latin America and Brazil in particular are growth markets. NII is our GNOC’s first customer in the region, and we will leverage its scale, automated tools and processes to drive speed, quality and efficiency in the operator’s network.”
“Sao Paulo was chosen for this facility as it is ideally situated in a region with several potential customers that have a strong presence in the Brazilian market. The Brazil market accounts for about 40 percent of the Latin American telecommunications market. In addition, the large pool of experienced, skilled and multilingual technicians available in the region makes the city a desirable and strategic choice,” added Almeida.
In 2010, NII signed a managed services agreement with Nokia Siemens Networks, which was the first of its kind in Latin America. It is one of Nokia Siemens Networks’ largest, multi-vendor, multi-country managed services agreements in the region. As part of the contract, Nokia Siemens Networks will centralize and consolidate NII’s network operations from across five countries through its new GNOC in Brazil during the third quarter of 2011.
“As the first beneficiary of Nokia Siemens Networks’ Latin American GNOC, NII will be able to increase operational flexibility, improve cost efficiencies and service quality for our high value customers in Latin America,” said Alan Strauss, NII Holdings’ executive vice president and chief technology officer. “The continuation of this partnership with Nokia Siemens Networks will not only allow us to continue serving our customers in Latin America, but strengthen our focus of delivering differentiated wireless services in the region.”
In addition to supporting NII’s iDEN® and 3G technologies, the facility will support, transport, IP network and data/Value Added Services (VAS), all from multiple vendors. The migration and centralization of network operations across all five countries will be completed in Q3 2011.
This new GNOC joins an existing network of three other multi-technology, multi-vendor GNOCs – two in India and one in Portugal. These centers are designed to help customers go to the market faster through round-the-clock project management. The centers ensure high network and service performance through transparent Service Level Agreements and improved service delivery efficiency while reducing risks.
By centralizing and consolidating resources at the three GNOCs, Nokia Siemens Networks delivers economies of scale to its customers and drives network efficiency. The centers have remote delivery model, and apply standardized and automated IT tools and processes. Today, the network of GNOCs remotely supports 200 million global subscribers, handling close to 100 million alarms, resolving 200,000 trouble tickets and generating 127,000 performance reports per month.
“We have set up these centers in such a way that they are all interconnected, so resources can be optimized and allocated intelligently,” said Arto Vilkman, head of services at Nokia Siemens Networks Latin America. “Unlocking more value for our customers from their network chains, and helping them provide the best services to their end users is our ultimate goal.”
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