Bharti in tech pact with Infy for DTH rollout

Bangalore-based IT services provider Infosys Technologies is understood to have entered into a technology partnership with telecom services provider Bharti Airtel to help the latter roll out its direct-to-home (DTH) services across the country.

Although the exact nature and value of the contract could not be ascertained, a senior Bharti Airtel official confirmed that the company had entered into a strategic tie-up with Bangalore-based Infosys.

An Infosys spokesperson said that the company will make a joint announcement with Bharti Airtel on Wednesday. "We won't be able to share anything beyond this," the spokesperson added. Sources say the deal spans across many years.

Bharti Airtel launched its DTH services earlier this month offering 175 TV channels across 62 cities through 21,000 retail points, including Airtel Relationship Centres.

Infosys already works with a communication services provider major in Western Europe in the digital TV space. The company has a solution called modular content accelerator which serves as an interface between stakeholders of consumer marketing and IT. The solution provides an operator the means to efficiently manage content catalogue, bundled offers and pricing apart from providing interactive services through multi-media content storefront.

Bharti Airtel has already signed a multi-year IT outsourcing contract with IBM in India.