Airtel, Vodafone win Telecom Asia Awards

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: This year's Telecom Asia Awards have been shared among four regional carriers - Orange Business Services, StarHub, PT Excelcomindo (XL) and Bharti Airtel.

Each has claimed two prizes in the event, which was held for the 12th successive year, on March 27 in Hong Kong, said a press release.

Orange, the enterprise business arm of France Telecom, was voted Best Asian Telecom Carrier and Best Managed Services Provider.

XL took the honors for Best Emerging Market and Best Mobile Carrier, while Bharti Airtel won the Best India Carrier for the second consecutive year.

Analyst firm Ovum was the research partner for the awards and part of the judging panel.

This year it hosted two of the awards - Ovum Telecom Innovation of the Year and Ovum Best Telco Transformation, the release said.

The Ovum Telecom Innovation of the Year award went to Vodafone Australia for its BusinessOne fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) solution.

David Kennedy, director, Ovum Research, said, “It's one of the first FMC solutions offered by a service provider in the region. It's based on high-end solutions from leading vendors on IP telephony and enterprise mobility (Cisco and RIM).”

The Ovum Best Telco Transformation award went to Bharti Airtel. The company was selected for its successful implementation and leveraging an outsourced model for network and systems operation that has delivered low-cost operation and growth in a low-ARPU market.

“The Awards are intended to reward excellence in Asian telecommunications. This year’s results show that despite the tough economic conditions, Asian carriers and partners are continuing to innovate,” said Joseph Waring, group editor, Telecom Asia.

The Telecom Asia Award winners were chosen by an independent judging panel for their financial performance, market leadership and technology and innovation, the release said