Air France-KLM's new network to unleash digital transformation and emerging market growth

Tata Communications’ global network will power the airline group’s mission to harness the latest mobile, cloud and wearable technologies to enhance passenger experience and support new aircraft

London, April 05, 2016

London Tuesday, 5 April, 2016

Tata Communications, a leading provider of A New World of Communications™, today announces that it has won a multi-million dollar contract with Air France-KLM, Europe’s second largest airline, to provide next-generation network connectivity to 170 sites. The network will form the backbone for the company as it embraces the latest mobile, cloud, big data analytics and wearable technologies to enhance and personalise passenger experience. This investment underpins the airline’s growth strategy, driven by organisation-wide digital transformation, delivery of next-generation aircraft, and expansion in emerging markets.

“We’re introducing a range of innovative services, such as travel apps for smartwatches, to provide a seamless, personalised travel experience for our tech-savvy passengers. Tata Communications’ global next-generation network will act as the foundation for these services in the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, empowering us take customer service to the next level and capitalise on the huge growth opportunities that these markets offer.”

-Jean-Christophe Lalanne, ‎CIO of Air France-KLM Group

The multi-year contract will see Tata Communications roll out a superfast intelligent network which will power Air France-KLM’s mission-critical systems, including passenger check-in, flight operations and departure control applications, as well as corporate programs in the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Air France-KLM, which carried 87.4 million passengers in 2014, is the first major European airline group to move away from the legacy networks widely used in the airline industry.Tata Communications’ global network – which today connects more than 300 locations for leading airlines worldwide – will enable Air France-KLM to offer a range of digital services in regions that have been identified by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as the future growth drivers of the industry. Currently eight of the ten fastest growing airline markets are located in Africa. By 2034, IATA expects 1.3 billion passengers to touch China – up from 850 million at present – and India is set to see an additional 260 million passengers. Europe will act as key transfer hub to these emerging markets, with 1.4 billion passenger journeys in 2034 – nearly 600 million more than today.[1]

 

“Investing in emerging markets and cutting-edge digital technologies is at the heart of our growth strategy,” says Jean-Christophe Lalanne, ‎CIO of Air France-KLM Group. “We’re introducing a range of innovative services, such as travel apps for smartwatches, to provide a seamless, personalised travel experience for our tech-savvy passengers. Tata Communications’ global next-generation network will act as the foundation for these services in the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, empowering us take customer service to the next level and capitalise on the huge growth opportunities that these markets offer.”

 

“Airlines worldwide are starting to rethink their technology infrastructure to improve the passenger experience, and integrate cloud services and new applications to support the huge amounts of data coming from next-generation aircraft. In tandem, they’re competing for their share of new revenue streams in emerging markets,” says Genius Wong, President, Global Network Services, Cloud and Data Centre Services at Tata Communications. “Tapping into our emerging markets expertise, our advanced global network, and our points-of-presence in airports gives Air France-KLM a real competitive edge. Air France-KLM is paving the way for the transformation of the group’s mission-critical operations, ensuring a superior travel experience for passengers in the industry’s fastest growing geographies.”

 

Tata Communications will provide Air France-KLM with an MPLS wide area network (WAN) in the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, underpinned by the company’s partnerships and investments in airport points-of-presence worldwide and the largest wholly-owned subsea cable network in the world.

 

Ends…


 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

Natalie Chak
Tata Communications
+44 (0)7833 043 779
natalie.chak@tatacommunications.com
Neil Thomas
Hill & Knowlton Strategies
+44 207 413 3454
neil.thomas@hkstrategies.com

About Tata Communications

Tata Communications Limited (CIN no: L64200MH1986PLC039266) along with its subsidiaries (Tata Communications) is a leading global provider of A New World of Communications™. With a leadership position in emerging markets, Tata Communications leverages its advanced solutions capabilities and domain expertise across its global and pan-India network to deliver managed solutions to multi-national enterprises, service providers and Indian consumers.

The Tata Communications global network includes one of the most advanced and largest submarine cable networks and a Tier-1 IP network with connectivity to over 240 countries and territories across 400 PoPs, as well as nearly 1 million square feet of data centre and collocation space worldwide.

Tata Communications’ depth and breadth of reach in emerging markets includes leadership in Indian enterprise data services and leadership in global international voice. Tata Communications Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India.

https://www.tatacommunications.com

Forward-looking and cautionary statements

Certain words and statements in this release concerning Tata Communications and its prospects, and other statements, including those relating to Tata Communications’ expected financial position, business strategy, the future development of Tata Communications’ operations, and the general economy in India, are forward-looking statements. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including financial, regulatory and environmental, as well as those relating to industry growth and trend projections, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of Tata Communications, or industry results, to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from such forward-looking statements include, among others, failure to increase the volume of traffic on Tata Communications’ network; failure to develop new products and services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; failure to successfully complete commercial testing of new technology and information systems to support new products and services, including voice transmission services; failure to stabilize or reduce the rate of price compression on certain of the company’s communications services; failure to integrate strategic acquisitions and changes in government policies or regulations of India and, in particular, changes relating to the administration of Tata Communications’ industry; and, in general, the economic, business and credit conditions in India. Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from such forward-looking statements, many of which are not in Tata Communications’ control, include, but are not limited to, those risk factors discussed in Tata Communications Limited’s Annual Reports. The Annual Reports of Tata Communications Limited are available at www.tatacommunications.com. Tata Communications is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements.


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