Kapil Ahuja, customer team head – Tata at Nokia Siemens
Networks, has resigned from the telecom equipment major and joined its Chinese
rival ZTE India.

 

Kapil, a telecom industry veteran, who worked with NSN,
Nokia and Siemens earlier, is joining ZTE India as its chief technical and
marketing officer. This will be a big boost for ZTE which is strengthening its
telecom business in 2011 after security related controversies in 2010.

 

The resignation is happening at a time when Nokia Siemens
Networks is undergoing top leadership changes in India and at its headquarters.
Recently, Nokia Siemens Networks
appointed Sandeep Girotra to head its business in India. Girotra reports
to Ashish Chowdhary, head of customer operations east and a member of the
company’s executive board, has been acting as head for its India business since
January 2011.

 

 

Nokia Siemens also appointed Jesper Ovesen as executive
chairman of the Board of Nokia Siemens Networks. Ovesen assumes a full-time role
with a special emphasis on overseeing the strategic direction of Nokia Siemens
Networks as it seeks to strengthen its position as a leader in the industry and
become a more independent entity.

 

Before joining ZTE, Kapil worked with Nokia Siemens in
several capacities. Kapil was the head of marketing and business development –
new operators at NSN. Kapil also worked with Nokia and Siemens in marketing
department.

 

His association with new operators will benefit ZTE India
which is strengthening its business in India in the last few months. ZTE
established ZTE India as the company’s global experts resource hub. The company will have
2,000 employees at the center in two years. ZTE India will serve as a key
technical resource provider for ZTE’s operations and subsidiaries in other
countries as the company continues to scale up its global growth.

 

 

The Chinese telecom equipment major also announced its partnership with Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) with the
aim of enhancing broadband services. ZTE will deploy ultra high-speed ADSL2+
and next-generation VDSL2+ broadband devices across BSNL’s network in 15
circles. ZTE already deployed over 3 million subscriber broadband units for
BSNL. Eighty percent of the networks equipped with these units utilize ADSL2+,
with the remaining 20 percent using VDSL2+. Combined with this project, ZTE
will command 40 to 45 percent of BSNL’s DSL market share.

 

 

ZTE announced its entry into the Smart Grid
solutions market in India. The company launched solutions which will address
the urgent need for creation of Smart Grids by the power sector in the country.

 

 

Recently, ZTE deployed an advanced VAS
Platform for Vodafone Essar in India. Vodafone users can avail the Vodafone
Newswrap, a Mobile Newspaper service offering the latest news and happenings
from around the world, on their mobile phones. The introduction of the service
will play a key role in enhancing VAS revenues for Vodafone Essar.

 

 

In yet another deal, ZTE won the world’s first CDMA
EV-DO Rev.B Phase 2 commercial contract from Indian telecom operator, Sistema
Shyam TeleServices.

 

By Baburajan K
[email protected]