With an aim to garner bigger business opportunities, Oracle India Private Limited is planning to expand its partner network to smaller cities and towns (Tier-II, Tier-III cities) across the country, a top company official said.

"We are targeting the small and medium business (SMB) segment in smaller towns and cities through our partner network. We expect there will be a huge business opportunity in the next 4-5 years from this segment," Oracle India Director (Alliances and Channels) Cherian Varghese told reporters here today.

To increase its reach in smaller town and cities, the company has launched the Oracle Partner Network (OPN), a specialised programme designed to allow the valued partner community to differentiate themselves and reap the benefits of being recognised by customers for their expertise on Oracle technology.

At present, Oracle India has over 1,000 partners in the country delivering software solutions based on the Oracle platform.

"OPN contributes to a majority of our business in India and Asia Pacific to cater to local market needs. Reinforced by Oracle products, partners get access to Oracle's products, education, technical services, marketing and sales support," he said.

The partners specialise in industry-specific software that is used extensively across all major sectors in India, including telecom, financial services, manufacturing and retail, among others.

Besides this, Oracle India is also focusing on customers from both big and mid-size enterprises. The company already had some of the key partners within its OPN, such as Infosys, Sonata, Tata Consultancy Services and HCL Infosystems, he added.