SINGAPORE, December 26 /PRNewswire/ --
Tata Communications maintained Internet connectivity to its customers in India, Middle East, and South East Asia and restored normal connectivity to its customers in these regions on December 20, 2008, within a day of the triple cable cuts of December 19, 2008.
Three major undersea cables (SMW3, SMW4, and FLAG) were damaged in the Mediterranean, disrupting Internet and communication services in parts of Asia, India and the Middle East. During this triple cable cut, Tata Communications' global Internet backbone maintained full connectivity and remained completely operational. Although there was induced latency in some routes, the activation of a diverted path towards North America and Europe via East Asia, Trans-Pacific and Trans-Atlantic routes enabled and contributed to the service continuity and minimal service interruption.
Tata Communications fully completed its disaster recovery plan for South Asia, India and Middle East & North Africa regions within 24 hours leveraging its global, diverse submarine cable and IP network, at which point Tata Communications started implementing incremental bandwidth to the severely impacted regions.
"Tata Communications' extensive Global Internet backbone has diverse eastward and westward paths which enable us to maintain services when incidents like this one occur," said Radwan Moussalli, Managing Director, Middle East & North Africa, Tata Communications. "We are proud of our global operations and engineering team that worked round the clock to execute a speedy and successful recovery plan to ensure business continuity for our Internet customers."
About Tata Communications
Tata Communications Limited, a member of the US$62.5 billion Tata Group along with its global subsidiaries, is a leading global provider of a new world of communications. The emerging markets communications leader leverages its advanced solutions capabilities and domain expertise across its global and pan-India network to deliver managed solutions to multi-national and Indian enterprises, service providers and Indian consumers.
Tata Communications' range of services include transmission, IP, converged voice, mobility, managed network connectivity, hosting and storage, managed security, managed collaboration and business transformation for global enterprises and service providers, as well as Internet, retail broadband and content services for Indian consumers. The Tata Global Network encompasses one of the most advanced and largest submarine cable networks, a Tier-1 IP network, with connectivity to more than 200 countries across 300 Pops, and more than 1 million square feet of data center and co-location facilities.
Tata Communications' unique emerging market depth and breadth of reach includes a national fiber backbone network and access to network in over 60 cities and 125 Pops in India, strategic investments in South African converged services operator, Neotel, Sri Lanka and Nepal and, subject to fulfillment of conditions precedent, a 50% ownership in China Enterprise Communications (CEC) providing full country VPN coverage in China.
Servicing customers from its offices in over 80 cities in 40 countries, Tata Communications is the number one global international wholesale voice operator and number one provider of international long distance, enterprise data and Internet services in India, the Company was named "Best Wholesale Carrier" at the World Communications Awards in 2006, "Best Pan-Asian Wholesale Provider" at the 2006 and 2007 Capacity Magazine Global Wholesale Telecommunications Awards and was awarded "Best Progress in Emerging Markets" at the 2008 Mobile Communication Awards.
Tata Communications Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India and its ADRs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. (NYSE: TCL) 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' various filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Tata Communications is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements.
Media Contacts: Cynthia Hng Tata Communications +65-6551-3664 cynthia.hng@tatacommunications.com S Ravindran Tata Communications +91-9223306610 ravindran.s@tatacommunications.com Media Agency STC Associates +1-212-725-1900 x204 kristen@stcassociates.com
