Optus appoints new OSS chief

Optus has appointed a new operational systems and support (OSS) chief as the carrier continues to hasten its plans to insource its network operations management from Nokia.

Former Wipro partner Wajid Baryalai has joined the carrier to take on the role of head of operations OSS.

Baryalai announced his new role last weekend and the carrier confirmed his appointment for iTnews yesterday.

In his LinkedIn post Baryalai said he looked forward to “playing [his] part alongside the amazing Optus team as we drive forward with our unwavering commitment to customer centricity and resilient business transformation.”

Sources close to the matter told iTnews that Optus has recently created a new a division to strengthen its operational support systems and network performance, and that Baryalai’s addition to its leader ranks was related to its establishment.

It’s understood that the new division has a mandate to modernise Optus’ network to make it more resilient and efficient.

Baryalai joins Optus at a challenging time for the carrier as it faces parliamentary inquiry into the triple zero outage that hit its network last September that has so far been linked to two fatalities.

The outage is also being investigated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for breaches of telecommunications regulations.

Optus has repeatedly pledged to address shortcomings in its operations that its own independent reviewer Kerry Schott found contributed to the outage.

They included “gaps in process, accountability, and escalation and information protocols that need urgent attention.”

Arguably, the largest program of work Optus has taken on in response to the outage is its decision to accelerate plans bring network management operations it currently outsources to Nokia back in-house.

At a hearing of the triple zero inquiry late last month Optus chief executive Stephen Rue confirmed that the vast bulk of the carrier’s call centre functions were concentrated in Chennai.

Its network management provider, Nokia, employs 3000 staff there to fulfil the contract.

When he first appeared before the inquiry committee late last year, Rue said that the company has taken initial decision to bring around 300 roles in its offshore call centre operations back to Australia.

However, at a session of the inquiry late last month Rue was questioned about reports that carrier planned to cut up to 300 positions from its local operations.

Rue confirmed that an estimated 200 to 300 employees would be cut, but said the carrier’s overall headcount would expand around 6800 to 7500 employees within 12 months.

The expansion, he said, would come from a combination of insourcing work presently performed in India, its retail store buy-back and investments in specific business functions, including the carrier’s risk management, security, and legal and compliance capabilities.

Rue also told the committee that Optus has reviewed its Chennai-centred operation and already returned around 100 roles onshore. However, he told the committee that the removing the remainder of the staff would require more care and preparation.

“This has to be obviously done carefully … because you've got to train people onshore, you've got to have your systems in place," he said at the time. 

Earlier this year, Optus confirmed that it had appointed Telstra’s former fixed and mobile engineering chief Sri Amirthalingam as its chief technology officer, replacing Tony Baird.

Amirthalingam joined in January and was expected work alongside Baird for unspecified transition period.

Other high-profile departures from Optus’ technology leadership ranks include chief information officer Mark Potter, who was expected to exit this month.