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Lucent to hire 500 engineers in India

Fakir Chand in Bangalore

Lucent Technologies, the global communications networking equipment major, is building its largest worldwide center in Bangalore to develop the next-generation integrated network management solution frameworks for its global customers in the carrier class.

The $34-billion US-based leader in the network operation software arena has decided to invest several million dollars to expand its research and development activities in India even as it embarks on a massive job cuts back home in the wake of the meltdown in the US economy.

Lucent also said that it would hire 500 engineers in India as part of its global revamp plans.

As part of the first phase of its investment plan in the Inter-Networking System India Development Center, the parent company's 100 per cent wholly owned subsidiary, Lucent Technologies India, is spending over $10 million by this year-end to employ 125 lateral software professionals.

Unfolding the company's India plans, Lucent's Network Operation Software president Ravi Gulati disclosed here Wednesday that the initial assignment of the IIDC would be to develop management and configuration systems for Inter-Networking Systems Multi-service core network business.

"With strong leadership positions in Internet infrastructure for service providers, optical networking, wireless networks, communications networking support and services, Lucent is focusing to emerge as a strong player in building a broadband and mobile Internet infrastructure that will change the way people communicate," Gulati stated here at the launch of the IIDC in the IT capital of India.

The Indian subsidiary plans to distribute the products developed at the IIDC to Lucent service provider customers worldwide. "These new products will benefit our customers by increasing revenues through faster service activation and provisioning. Speed of the product development will ensure faster time-to-market of new services, deliver seamless transition to next-generation networks, and help customers achieve operational efficiency through seamless network deployment, management and maintenance," Gulati affirmed.

According to LTI president & CEO Vijay K Gupta, the IIDC will also strengthen Lucent's offering of end-to-end solutions to service providers by delivering integrated network operations tools for its equipment.

"The software techies at the Bangalore facility will also be responsible for development of emerging operations support systems for the next-generation MPLS packet-based networks," Gupta added.

Though Lucent has been retrenching its software engineers by thousands in the US lately, it has no plans to even to 'bench' any of its 800 professionals working at its Indian subsidiary. "On the

contrary, we will be taking 500 more engineers for the IIDC in the next two years," claimed Dr Chandan Haldar, director of the network operations' software at IIDC.

Backed by the R&D of Bell Labs, for which India is a major hub, Lucent focuses on high-growth areas that link private and public networks, and professional network design and consulting services.

Besides building modern telecom network for the Indian service providers like BSNL, MTNL, HFCL Infotel, Hughes Tele.com, and Tata Teleserives, to name a few, LTI has a state-of-the-art switching factory in Bangalore, which has been recognized under the approved inspection scheme from the state-owned telecom department.

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