Tata Communications formerly called VSNL is a global provider of telecommunications solutions and services. It is part of the Tata Group.

Beginning as a wholesale service provider focused on India, it has grown to be one of the largest telecommunications service providers in the world. Tata Communications’ customers include over 2,000 service providers and enterprises in 240 countries, including many of the world’s largest corporations.

Its telecommunications network spans the globe and includes more than 500,000 km of subsea fibre and more than 210,000 km of terrestrial fibre. The company has invested $1.19 billion in its global subsea fibre network.

Tata Communications uses its network to deliver network services and software-defined network platforms, such as Ethernet, SD-WAN, Content delivery network (CDN), Internet, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) and Private Line. It has more than 400 Points of Presence (POP) globally with data centre and colocation in 44 sites.

In 2016, Tata Communications had a revenue of $3.2 billion, with 77% of its revenue being generated outside India. The company has over 8,000 employees from 40 nationalities.

Tata Communications is the Official Connectivity Provider for Formula 1. Since 2012, the company has provided Web Hosting and Content Delivery Network Provider for formula1.com.

Tata Communications Limited is headquartered in Mumbai and Singapore and is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India. The company itself also holds a stake in Tata Communications Lanka Limited in Sri Lanka and Tata Teleservices Limited, one of the largest mobile service providers in India.

The company is listed as one of AON Hewitt's Best Employers in India for 2017.

The company was founded as Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) in 1986. In 2002, after the Government of India decided to divest its shareholding, Tata Group acquired a 45% stake in VSNL. The international arm of VSNL, VSNL International, was launched in 2004.

VSNL was completely acquired by the Tata Group and renamed as Tata Communications Limited on 13 February 2008.

Tata Communications Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India.

Tata Communications operates a wholly owned submarine fibre optic cable network, comprising more than 500,000 km of subsea fibre, and 210,000 km of terrestrial fibre.

In 2009, Tata Communications and Tyco Telecommunications completed the TGN-Intra Asia cable system.

In 2012, the company completed its network across Egypt linking Europe to India, creating a subsea fibre network that circumnavigates the world. The 9,280 km Eurasian section of the Tata Global Network runs across the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East, connecting Mumbai with Marseilles, providing a low-latency connection with a round-trip delay of 92 msec, and speeds of between 2Mbit/s and 10Gbit/s.

The company has more than 15 terabits/s of international bandwidth lit capacity.

In January 2016, Windstream Communications announced it was extending its 100 Gigabit Ethernet (100G) network from New Jersey data center operator NJFX's presence at Tata's Cable Landing Station (CLS) in Wall Township, N.J., to Ashburn, Virginia's Internet hub, estimated to be the hub for 70 percent of the world's Internet traffic.

Tata Communications uses its global Tier-1 backbone network and Points of Presence (PoPs) on six continents to provide customers with internet connectivity. It now delivers more than 24% of the worlds internet [null traffic]. It has IPv6 dual-stack network capability, more than 110 PoPs throughout India and peer relationships with more than 50 Internet Service Providers in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.

Tata Communications offers Ethernet services that can connect its customers global offices at speeds of up to 10 Gbit/s in point-to-point or multipoint configurations.

Its Global Network provides flexible bandwidth options from 2MB up to 10,000MB using Fast-E, Gig-E, and 10 Gig-E. Its Ethernet services include: Global Dedicated Ethernet, External Ethernet Network-to-Network Interface, Low Latency Ethernet and Ethernet Over MPLS.

Ethernet over MPLS is a high-performance, global MPLS backbone that streams audio video, live broadcasts, and IP services with the scalability and security of a private network.

Its Ethernet services are certified by the MEF—a worldwide non-profit organization dedicated to improving carrier-class Ethernet products and services.

Tata Communications International Private Line offers customers a variety of routing, uptime, and service options for its customers global communications. It delivers voice, video and data connectivity built on its subsea cable network, including a fibre optic ring, and more than 20 consortium cables covering 300,000 km over 200 countries and territories.

In February 2011, as part of a strategy to enhance its global Content Delivery Network (CDN), Tata Communications acquired BitGravity, a US-based CDN provider. This acquisition enabled it to offer its customers a cloud-based service for content delivery, including the delivery of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, videos and live streaming HD. This service was then integrated with other support services, like security, satellite teleports, fibre-based video network and transcoding.

Tata Communications has a data centre network located in 44 locations worldwide. Tata Communications data centres meet international standards for redundancy, and are integrated directly with its global IP network. Its colocation services provide regulated power, cooling and physical security for the server, storage and networking equipment. In May 2016, in order to redeploy capital in other areas of its business, Tata Communications sold a 74% stake in its data centre business to Singapore Technologies Telemedia. Tata communications has more than 10,000 racks and one million square feet of Data center space.

Tata Communications delivers a portfolio of Unified Communication and Collaboration (UCC) solutions worldwide. These services include: Global SIP Connect, Unified Conferencing, Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Hosted contact centre.

In January 18, 2016, Tata Communications launched a white-label Unified Communications solution called Global SIP Connect. This solution was designed to address the voice requirements of its enterprise customers, while simultaneously expanding its Unified Communications portfolio. The SIP Trunking solution, enables its service provider customers to consolidate and manage voice services, while providing all global on-net and off-net voice services to link their businesses globally.

Tata Communications Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) integrates and works with other service provider solutions including Microsoft and Cisco. Its global UC services on the Microsoft Skype for Business platform provide a solution including conferencing, online meetings, instant messaging, voice and video.

Tata Communications InstaCC was launched at Enterprise Connect 2015 in Orlando on March 16, 2015. The UCC solution includes a series of outbound and Omni-channel communications, enabling its customers to quickly establish contact and call centres.

In October 2014, Tata Communications launched its IZO platform, “a global network platform for enhanced hybrid cloud enablement”. Tata Communications IZO Platform brings together 20+ cloud providers, two large cloud platforms and 50+ data centres, that its customers can interconnect with.

Tata Communications IZO Internet WAN is a global-internet-based WAN service. This service can be integrated with Tata Communications Global VPN solution to build a global hybrid network. IZO Internet WAN reaches 42 countries, 700+ cities, over 1 million buildings and covers 85% of the world’s GDP.

IZO Private Connect links businesses to leading cloud service providers including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Office 365 and Salesforce.com. Its customers can connect using MPLS or Ethernet and gain access to Ethernet connectivity to Tata Communications’ data centres and across 50 third party data centres globally.

IZO Public Connect is a cloud enablement service that provides a route for Tata Communications’ enterprise customers by tagging their data packets for pre-determined delivery over the public internet.

In November 2016, Tata Communications launched its new addition to the IZO platform, IZO SDWAN. The solution, delivered as a managed service, combines IZO WAN with software-defined and virtualised network technologies in 130+ countries. IZO SDWAN cloud service gateways are built next to cloud service providers in 20 locations across the globe.

Tata Communications offers a range of services and solutions for enterprises in all segments of media and entertainment, including gaming, hospitality, sports, leisure, education, news, music, cable and broadcasting.

In April 2015, Tata Communications launched its Media Ecosystem, to drive innovation throughout broadcast. The ecosystem combines traditional video contribution services with IP-connectivity. Services include: asset management, workflow management, channel origination, internet contribution feeds, OTT platform and transcoding as a service.

Tata Communications offers a complete array of managed security services, that provides enterprise customers with 24x7x365 protection from attacks. Its managed security offering includes firewalls, threat management, intrusion detection and prevention, DDoS detection and mitigation, email security, vulnerability testing and management.

Tata Communications offers a fraud prevention toolkit to identify and proactively prevent fraudulent call activity. The toolkit uses technologies including big data, analytics, machine learning, crowd sourcing, real-time monitoring, subscriber alerts and automated reporting.

The toolkit monitors 30 million calls per day for fraud, and blocks over 400,000 fraudulent calls every day. When the fraud fighting toolkit identifies a fraudulent call, Tata Communications blocks the number across its entire network.

Tata Communications combined its Diameter Signalling eXchange (DSX) platform with its IPX Connect service to offer its customers 3G/4G roaming. It provides a complete solution for LTE roaming migration, supporting 2G, 3G and 4G roaming within one framework. This framework addresses signalling, routing, inter-working, transport, clearing, settlement, business intelligence, security and service assurance.

With an on-net signalling network, directly connecting 300 mobile network operators and with reach to 900+ mobile network operators, Tata Communication’s interconnects mobile ecosystem players for messaging and roaming.

Its signalling services can be delivered over a number of network options including TDM, IP, Global VPN and IPX Connect (SCCP over IPX). Also supported is signalling evolution from SCCP to Diameter, ready for IMS and LTE roaming capabilities.

In March 2016, Tata Communications announced its partnership with messaging service provider Anam to create a Mobile Messaging Exchange designed to protect Mobile Network Operator customers' from fraud. The service offers an A2P mobile messaging hub environment, that feature cloud-based centralised messaging exchanges between customers and enterprises/OTTs/SMS aggregators. The Mobile Messaging Exchange combined with Anam’s SMS firewall products is designed to provide reliable and secure SMS delivery for Tata Communications' customers.

Tata Communications offers its customers a market model to distribute and promote their content for free, via its Sponsored Data Exchange. The service leverages Tata Communications’ global network and carrier relationships to offer a cloud-based solution that supports the use of mobile data for customer loyalty and peer-to-peer gifting.

Voice Direct Transit creates a virtual direct to any of the 300+ mobile operators directly connected to its network. It provides full support for HD Voice, complies with GSMA’s IPX specifications for direct transit and is future proof for operators migrating to Voice over LTE.

Tata Communications provides its customers with a full suite of Access Services, that cover 105 countries. Customers can receive toll-free calls from both fixed and mobile phones in more than 90 countries with ITFS. They can provide a single number that is accessible from more than 45 countries worldwide, with UIFN. It also enables customers to purchase large volumes of numbers through its Bulk Local Number Service offering.

In June 2016, Tata Communications launched its Wi-Fi+, a cloud communications solutions for its mobile network operator customers. Operators are able to provide their customers with unlimited calling, messaging and data over high-quality, secure Wi-Fi. It harnesses Tata Communications’ Cloud RTC expertise and iPass’s more than 21 million Wi-Fi hotspots in more than 100 countries.

In January 2017, Tata Communications announced its partnership with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to provide 44 million Wi-Fi hotspots in more that 100 countries, including rail systems and international flights.