Telefonica launched Luca, a big data services unit, a “fundamental part” of its strategy to become a data-driven company.

The unit will be led by global big data B2B director Elena Gil and aims to enable corporate clients to understand their data and use it in a transparent and responsible way.

“Data is a critical asset for the future of Telefonica and any organisation. With Telefonica’s fundamental promise to always maintain privacy, security and the transparent use of the data, we want to help our clients understand its full potential,” said Chema Alonso, Telefonica’s chief data officer, and head of the unit in which Luca is integrated.

“Big data has helped us at Telefonica, and we strongly believe it will help our clients in decision-making, more efficient resource management and in returning the benefits of this wealth of information not only to their clients and direct users, but also to society,” he added.

The offering has three main lines of products and services which are supported by a range of solutions, some existing, some new and some to be developed within the company or in partnership with third parties.

The business insights area will bring the value of anonymous and aggregated data on Telefonica networks.

The analytical and external consultancy services will be provided by Synergic Partners, acquired by Telefonica in 2015.

Luca will also provide BDaaS (Big Data as a Service) to empower clients to get the most out of their own data, using the Telefonica  cloud infrastructure.

The catalogue of products and services of Luca will be taken to market by the different business units in different countries across the Telefonica footprint. They will also use their own local capabilities internally to service their customers.

Back in January China Unicom and Telefonica set up a joint venture to provide big data services in China.