Kenan aims to develop market share and expand the telecommunications network infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh by adopting a customer-focused and value-added service business model. Kenan Systems was selected for its ability to support this strategy through its products' flexibility, scalability and time-to-market capabilities.

Kenan Systems is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lucent Technologies, and is an award-winning provider of software products and services. It is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts with offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The newly-formed Tata Teleservices recognises the need to offer value-added services and to ensure customer care to effect this strategy and reduce churn.

Tatatel will eventually offer a full range of services including leased lines, ISDN, voice mail, centrex and dataservices, all of which will be supported by Kenan Systems' solutions.

Tata Teleservices is a joint venture company of the Tata group, Bell Canada International, the global investment arm of Canadian BCE Inc., and insurance and financial services company, American International Group (AIG).

Commenting on the selection of the Arbor/BP and Arbor/OM products, N Srinath, COO, Tata Teleservices, said: "Kenan Systems met our specifications for a billing and customer care system which would enable Tatatel to establish itself quickly as a customer-focused company, providing state-of-the-art communications infrastructure supported by specialised IT systems that ensure an efficient and cost-effective network and business operation."

Raghav Sahgal, regional director, in a statement said: "The ability to build relationships with customers is a key to competitive advantage, and we are delighted that Tatatel has chosen Arbor/BP and Arbor/OM to underpin their service strategy.''