IBM announced Tuesday that it has secured a 10-year, $83 million strategic outsourcing deal with Indian cable operator, Digicable. According to IBM, the deal will see it supporting the integration of Digicable's digital media content delivery and value-added services applications with its core business technologies and processes, thus enabling the operator to provide "superior and personalized service" to its subscribers. Specifically, IBM says, the deal will see it enabling Digicable to manage its business processes better and enhance revenue-per-subscriber by facilitating the launch of such services as VOD, push-VOD, interactive TV, Internet-on-TV, gaming and telephony, as well as allowing it to launch more channels and with better picture quality and sound.
As part of the agreement, IBM says, it will provide Digicable with IT infrastructure services, network support, application maintenance services and security services. According to the company, it will leverage its strength in hardware and software solutions to assess and help optimize operations for central and remote headends and physical and digital assets. The deal will also see IBM implementing and managing core applications and services, the company says, including business-to-business, business-to-consumer and employee portals, voucher and credit management systems, electronic bill presentation and payment, intellectual property management and ERP. "IBM is excited to partner with a progressive and growing company like Digicable," Steve Canepa, general manager of IBM Media & Entertainment Industry, said in a prepared statement. "We will help Digicable capitalize on market opportunities efficiently and drive additional revenues by facilitating accelerated launch of new value-added services. We are confident that our understanding and expertise in M&E industry, coupled with proven capabilities in IT services delivery, will provide Digicable the necessary impetus for future growth."
