India's Reliance Communications has signed a deal to outsource its call center and shared services operations to the UK's Vertex as part of a wide-ranging restructuring effort.
The Indian unit of financial services company Vertex will take over RCom's call center and shared services functions and staff. The deal is worth nearly 7.5 billion rupees ($120 million), according to the Economic Times.
As part of the deal, RCom will transfer nearly 5,500 call center and shared services employees – around 40% of its total workforce - to Vertex, the report states.
Vertex will meanwhile take over premium voice and back office operations and open two new call center facilities near RCom's Mumbai complex.
Vertex will also assume responsibility for shared service dunctions including billing, administration, security and maintenance.
RCom is pursuing a restructuring involving exiting its non-core businesses and reducing customer support costs by up to 20%.
The company's shared services operations have been a drain on its bottom line at a time when the telecom sector is struggling with high debt burdens in the wake of spectrum auctions and other factors.