TCS, Nokia Siemens join hands for R&D in Germany

Tata Consultancy Service (TCS) Ltd and Nokia Siemens Networks have entered into a multimillion-euro agreement for jointly research and develop telecom products at Nokia Siemens' Dusseldorf centre in Germany.

Nokia Siemens will affect a transfer of product engineering, research and development services and parts of its operations and business software (OBS) to TCS.

The operations transfer includes 90 employees, who will be moved to TCS as part of the deal, according to an announcement in Mumbai on Monday.

The two companies said this agreement would create an efficient set-up in which TCS will provide global R&D services to Nokia Siemens by leveraging its expertise in the telecommunications sector.

"The agreement with Nokia Siemens reiterates TCS' capability to enhance customers' business by leveraging our superior R&D services and strong domain. We will share with Nokia Siemens innovative approaches, global best practices and benchmark standards to ensure excellence," said N Chandrasekaran, chief operating officer and executive director of TCS.

The new regional delivery centre for telecommunications customers in Dusseldorf - where the transferred employees will work - is strategic to TCS as Germany is a key European market, said Chandrasekaran.

Nokia Siemens has placed innovation and R&D at the top of its strategic agenda as it tries to achieve its vision of getting five billion people connected by 2015.

An agreement with TCS, a leading IT services, business solutions and outsourcing company, enhances its ability to deliver new and profitable services to their clients.