Airtel, Google Cloud Tie Up To Accelerate Cloud Adoption, Deploy Generative AI Solutions

Bharti Airtel Ltd. and Google Cloud have entered a collaboration to deliver cloud solutions to Indian businesses. The collaboration will include cloud solutions from Google Cloud to boost cloud adoption and modernisation for Airtel’s customers.

Airtel will provide cloud managed services to its customer base of enterprises and emerging businesses. Through this collaboration, the two companies are targeting the large and growing Indian public cloud services market, which is expected to reach $17.8 billion by 2027, according to the International Data Corporation.

The two companies will bring together their capabilities in connectivity and artificial intelligence technology to develop AI/machine learning solutions that Airtel will train on its large data set. These will include geospatial analytics solutions with advanced location intelligence for trend-spotting, predictive capabilities, market assessment, site selection, risk management, and asset tracking; voice analytics solutions for conversational applications trained across languages; and marketing technology solutions to forecast consumer behaviour, perform tailored audience segmentations and streamline content creation.

In addition, Airtel has developed an end-to-end internet of things solution designed for the utility sector that combines connectivity, Google Cloud services and application software under one offering. For its cloud-based solutions business, Airtel has set up a managed services centre in Pune with experts being trained on Google Cloud services.

Gopal Vittal, managing director and chief executive officer, Bharti Airtel, said, “As India accelerates its digital transformation, cutting-edge cloud and AI solutions will be at the heart and centre of this change. We are happy to partner with Google Cloud and jointly address this market opportunity with secure and scalable cloud solutions for government, enterprises and emerging businesses.”

Airtel will also leverage Google Cloud’s generative AI capabilities to improve customer experiences and interactions across its offerings of mobile, broadband and digital TV, and to streamline its internal processes and operations. Airtel will also extend these capabilities to its B2B customers in India and globally, the company said.

“Our strategic collaboration with Airtel marks a significant milestone towards our commitment to accelerate cloud and AI adoption in India. Through this partnership, we aim to explore and build transformative solutions that can enhance Airtel’s customer experiences,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud.