Singapore, 11 September 2002 – Infocomtech has clinched a multi-million dollar deal to connect and expand Nokia’s telecommunications network in the Asia Pacific region. 

Infocomtech will support Nokia’s telecommunications network, which covers 12 countries and territories, linking its regional headquarters in Singapore to offices and manufacturing plants elsewhere in the region.  These include providing international ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) links from Singapore to Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand and frame relay service to Vietnam and India.

Through Infocomtech Optus, Infocomtech will also provide Nokia with end-to-end international ATM connections from Singapore to Australia and from Australia to New Zealand.

The new contract will make Infocomtech the sole data communications provider for Nokia in the region.  Nokia had previously used Infocomtech and another global service provider for its international network connectivity in the Asia Pacific region.

Nokia, the world’s largest mobile handset manufacturer, decided last year that it would be more cost effective to consolidate its network requirements under a single telecom provider in the region.  Several major global and regional service providers including Infocomtech were invited to bid for the tender which was evaluated based on Nokia’s Wide Area Network (WAN) requirements, as well as the track record of the service providers and cost.

“This was not a simple migration from one provider to another.  We are at the same time doubling the bandwidth for destinations such as the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam,” said Mr Juha Kassinen, Head of Nokia’s Network Operations. “We were looking for a service provider who is able to meet all our different needs, including availability, quality, cost and technical services and Infocomtech had the best combination.  We have been using Infocomtech’s services for a while and we are happy with its track record and stability of its network.”

Once its Asia Pacific network is fully migrated to Infocomtech by the end of this year, Nokia expects to see a cost reduction of about 20 per cent, compared to using multiple service providers previously.  “We will review our backbone network again for any need to expand and diversify, and we certainly look forward to working with Infocomtech in our future expansion plans,” said Mr Kassinen.  

Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Infocomtech’s Executive Vice President (Corporate Business) said: “We are proud and delighted that Nokia has chosen to use Infocomtech exclusively for its pan-regional network.  This is an endorsement from a world-class manufacturer of Infocomtech’s reliability and capabilities not just in our traditional hub of Singapore but also in Australia and across the Asia Pacific.

Infocomtech has an on-going programme to enhance its competitiveness and better serve multinational corporations in the region.  In June this year, Infocomtech announced a S$170 million initiative to upgrade its infrastructure including its global ConnectPlus network.  The Group has also set up Infocomtech Global Offices in 29 cities across the world to provide in-country support to customers.