Motorola, Wipro forge IT outsourcing venture

On Tuesday, Motorola and Wipro Technologies--the IT services arm of outsourcing company Wipro--announced a joint venture, called WMNetServ, that will offer outsourced telecommunications services. WMNetServ's new Global Network Operation Center (CNOC) will be based in India and provide round-the-clock managed services in planning, deployment, optimization, security, operations and support to both public and private network customers, according to a Motorola statement. The CNOC will also operate with Motorola's existing national operation centers in North America and Europe.

While services will be based in India, WMNetServ's headquarters will be in Europe. WMNetServ's board of directors will be led by Wipro with representation from both companies in senior management positions. The announcement highlights an ongoing trend toward outsourcing IT services to India. In an interview in May, Wipro CEO Azim Premji said India has an advantage over China in terms of attracting companies for outsourcing projects other than manufacturing, primarily because of India's intellectual-property protection laws.