Even though India's telecom sector has experienced a number of significant challenges during 2011, there were still some business and technology initiatives that deserve a pat on the back.
We have already covered the downsides of the past 12 months. (See A Disappointing Year!)
So now it's time to temporarily remove our sceptic's hat and recognise the efforts that have taken the industry in the right direction.
Aakash (Sky) is not the limit: In one of its ambitious projects, the Government of India has finally managed to unveil the world's cheapest mass market computing device -- Aakash -- at a price of US$35. Even though, the device lacks killer features, at that price it stands an excellent chance of becoming the key enabler in meeting the connectivity demands of rural and semi-urban regions. (See Tablets Get Hotter, Competition Intense.)
Bharti's CEM Deployment: India's largest operator, Bharti Airtel Ltd. (Mumbai: BHARTIARTL), showed the way forward by deploying a Customer Experience Management platform. As the Indian operators migrate from a strategy focused on subscriber base growth to one focused on customer retention, the country is set to witness many such deployments. (See Bharti's New Experience and Customer Experience Management: The Next Frontier.)
BSNL returning BWA Spectrum: The Government-owned operator took the unprecedented step of returning some BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) spectrum. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) has been recording losses for the past two years and it is crucial it takes concrete steps to get its finances in order. Kudos to BSNL for finally taking the bull by its horns. (See Should BSNL Return 3G Spectrum As Well? and Indiawatch: BSNL Can Give Up BWA.)
3G Lessons: Indian telcos have been trying to figure out a way forward with 3G, which has received a lukewarm response from users. However, in the second half Idea Cellular Ltd. took the lead by offering handsets at subsidized rates to the subscribers. That was a significant decision as the high cost of 3G devices has been one of the main reasons 3G has failed to generate a positive response. Idea has also stood out in recent months by having the highest proportion of active users on its network and by attracting the most new customers as a result of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) requests following the introduction of the service late last year. (See Idea's Brand New 3G Plan and Idea's Dream Run in Indian Telecom.)
While these are just a few of the positive initiatives from the past year, we hope the industry stakeholders will further innovate in the year to come to drive the industry forward.
Thanks Vishnu. The most important point is "integrated policy pronouncements" which is clearly the key to how the coming year will shape up. Let's hope the local manufacturing initiative takes concrete shape...
Congrats Gagan, for carrying out the analysis for 2011 and bringing out what all stakeholders of India Telecom achieved in this year.As we transition into the new year we expect lot of things to shape up. Few expectations from this sector are:
Encouraging local manufacturing thru technology transfer/New Manufacturing policy
Integrated Policy pronouncements so all central ministries talk a common language
Atleast 30% revenues of Telecom come from outside mobile cellular services
Product creation and Promotion efforts are stepped up to attract Global investment here
Welcome to new year and new initiatives in 2012! Vishnu Goel T&M +919810101238
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