BT is to hire 6,000 workers in India over the next two years to help it in a new push to provide services to the country’s businesses.

The telecoms group hopes to generate revenues of $250 million (£132 million) by 2009 off the back of the country’s booming economy.

It has applied to the Indian Government for a number of national and long-distance licences to provide services directly to businesses.

Andy Green, head of BT’s global services division, which provides telecoms and IT services to businesses, said that establishing and managing its own operation in India represented a “landmark development”.

During the past three years, BT has invested $100 million in the Asia Pacific region, and 12,000 out of the 15,000 people employed in the region are based in India.

The global services division is growing fast, now providing services to companies in 170 countries. Last year it accounted for more than 40 per cent of BT’s group revenues.

BT has positioned the division as a critical driver of future growth as it works to offset the decline in its traditional calls business.

However, it has had problems in some of its highest profile work. The group was recently forced to switch a key software supplier on its contract to upgrade the NHS’s IT system in an attempt to speed up the project. It ditched GE Healthcare and replaced it with Cerner.

BT also announced yesterday that it had teamed up with India’s Jubilant Enpro, which has interests ranging from oil and gas to food and services.

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