Tata in pole position with Formula One?
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Tata in pole position with Formula One?

Speaking at a press conference in London today to announce a unique connectivity partnership with the Formula One motorsport, Vinod Kumar, MD and CEO of Tata Communications has told Capacity that the carrier’s investments in submarine cable networks were “the biggest building block for what we do for Formula one”.

The event, also attended by Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, marked a tech service and marketing deal, which will see Tata becoming the sole connectivity partner for the Formula One brand.

During the conference Kumar said that Tata was seeking to build brand credibility through its customers and the networking and hosting requirements of Formula One made it the right fit to showcase Tata’s capabilities.

Kumar went on to say that Tata’s acquisition of CDN provider BitGravity last year was an important factor behind the deal, along with the company’s hosting and security capabilities.

When asked about other future partnerships Kumar said that: “In terms of brand association and a partnership of this nature I think we’ll be focused on Formula One.” But he also referred to the broadcasting Tata already performs for other sporting events.

According to Kumar, discussions were already underway for the internal use of telepresence within Formula One and also externally for drivers to have press conferences with reporters back in their home country.

The partnership is described as a “multiyear deal” but no comment was given as to the exact length of the contract.

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