CHAPTER 3: INDIAN MOBILE TELEPHONY INDUSTRY OVERVIEW. of West Bengal, Jyoti Basu to then Union Telecom Minister Sukhram.

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1 CHAPTER 3: INDIAN MOBILE TELEPHONY INDUSTRY OVERVIEW 3.1 OVERVIEW The first mobile phone call in India was made in 1995 by then Chief Minister of West Bengal, Jyoti Basu to then Union Telecom Minister Sukhram. Sixteen years later in 2011, 4th generation (4G) mobile telephony services were launched in Kolkata (TNN, 2012). Today India's telecommunication network is the second largest in the world by number of telephone users (both fixed and mobile phone) with a total subscriber base of billion subscribers and with billion wireless subscribers (TRAI press release, 2017).During the year , wireless subscriber base recorded an increase of million. It has one of the lowest call tariffs in the world enabled by mega telecom operators and hyper-competition among them. India has the world's second-largest Internet user-base. As on 31 March 2016, there were million internet subscribers in the country. The Mobile telecommunications industry was thrown open to private players in the 1990s, in the beginning phase of the industry. Fig. 3.1 illustrates Indian mobile subscriber growth from year 2000 to year

2 SOURCE: TRAK.IN 2014 FIG. 3.1 INDIAN SUBSCRIBER GROWTH (FIGURES IN MILLIONS) The country is divided into multiple zones, called circles (roughly along state boundaries). Government and several private players run local and long distance telephone services. Competition has caused prices to drop and today calls across India are one of the cheapest in the world. In September 2004, the number of mobile phone connections crossed the number of fixed-line connections. As illustrated in the Fig. 3.1 the mobile subscriber base has grown from 5 million subscribers in 2001 to over 929 million subscribers as of May India primarily follows the GSM mobile system, in the 900 MHz band. Recent operators also operate in the 1800 MHz band. The dominant players are Airtel, Reliance Infocomm, Vodafone, Idea cellular Reliance JioInfocomm and BSNL/MTNL. There are many smaller players, with operations in only a few states. International roaming agreements exist between most 57

3 operators and many foreign carriers. The government allowed Mobile number portability (MNP) which enables mobile telephone users to retain their mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network operator to another. Table 3.1 provides list of telecom operators and their market share witnessed in March TABLE 3.1 OPERATORWISE MARKET SHARE Rank Operator's Name Market Share * Vodafone India % 1 Vodafone-Idea * Idea Cellular % 2 Airtel 24.32% 3 Jio 10.98% 4 BSNL Mobile 8.80% 5 Aircel 8.38% 6 Reliance Communications 7.99% 7 Tata DoCoMo 5.17% 8 Telenor India 4.94% 9 MTS India 0.60% 10 MTNL 0.34% Source: TRAI press release March,

4 3.2 INDIAN TELECOM INDUSTRY CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES: Today Indian telecom industry has more than one billion subscribers; the industry is the fastest-growing as well as second-largest after China (Communications today 2016). The telecom industry during the past year has seen progress in numerous operating parameters like double-digit growth in Internet subscribers, increasing teledensity, increasing MOUs (minutes of usage), and increasing data-consumption levels. Indian government is committed to support the sector with lots of initiatives such as NOFN (National Optical Fibre Network) project, Digital Literacy Scheme for rural India,, launching of payments banks, new spectrum trading rules, Digital India and Make in India programs, which are helping in tapping the unexplored areas of the sector. However, despite these opportunities, the telecom industry is facing numerous challenges in terms of spectrum crunch, quality of services, under-investment in passive infrastructure, and intense competition among players; therefore, it would be crucial for the whole telecom industry to tackle these issues before they escalate into major hurdles for the sector in the coming years. India is estimated to achieve 100% tele-density by 2020 and the projections look realistic as telecom service operators are fiercely competing with each other and battling with each other to win every single customer. The results are witnessed in the rise in rural telecom density which stood at percent as on January 31, 2016, showing year-on-year growth of 8.14 percent. However, lack of adequate telecom infrastructure in semi-rural and rural areas could be one of the major hindrances in tapping the potential of rural telecom market, as service providers have to incur a 59

5 significant amount of Capital Expenditure in order to set up their presence in rural areas. These unexplored markets not only lack basic infrastructure such as roads and power but also face scarcity of trained personnel, which further creates obstacles in deployment of services in these areas. On the other hand, the growing demand for data consumption is very high in the urban areas the telecom service operators have to invest in improving passive infrastructure. The major challenge and concern is the large amount of investment required and the return on invest is not attractive enough. And there is widespread negative perception about health hazards from the radiation emitted from such infrastructure. Furthermore, the problem of call-drops escalated which resulted in Telecom Authority of India (TRAI) coming up with a proposal to penalize the operators for call-drops forcing them to invest and improve the quality of service (QoS). The operators in certain areas, however, are also facing the issue of lack of adequate spectrum leading to higher Cap-Ex on deployment of network as they need more cell sites to improve their service quality. In addition, the sector continues to be one of the most competitive resulting in thin operating margins and volatile trends in realizations for the service providers as intense pressure and competitive pricing has resulted in volatile average Revenue per User (ARPUs). Although the ARPUs are growing on y-o-y basis, yet they are not having a stable growth curve. However, on the brighter side, the guidelines on spectrum trading by the sector regulator are pushing the sector toward consolidation. This will not only help 60

6 in optimum utilization of the resources including spectrum and tower infrastructure, but will also improve the QoS. 3.3 PROFILES OF INDIAN TELECOM BRANDS: 1. About Airtel: FIG 3.2 LOGO AIRTEL Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 17 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 3 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company s product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G, 4G wireless 61

7 services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 364 million customers across its operations at the end of December The company was registered July 07, 1995, as a Public Limited Company. The company is listed in Bombay Stock Exchange Limited (BSE), National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE). Airtel India has a customer base of 265,853,000 GSM mobile users, 2,102,000 Homes customers and 12,588,000- Digital TV Services (status as on December 31, 2016). Airtel generated revenue of Rs. 233,357million (ended December 31, 2016-Audited). VISION Our vision is to enrich the lives of our customers. Our obsession is to win customers for life through exceptional experience. OBJECTIVES Grow market share profitably. Accelerate non-mobile businesses. VALUES Alive. Inclusive. Respectful. 1 Win through goto-market excellence Grow share of new smart phones and 4G devices Accelerate data penetration via intuitive pricing and innovation Build India s no. 1 Payments Bank through a frugal and digital model 2 Win with a Brilliant Network Experience Eliminate customer frustration through quality obsession Improve customer advocacy through granular planning and communication Drive down unit cost per MB through leveraging multiple technologies Grow 3G/4G data by encouraging consumption, bundling and up gradation Grow postpaid through propositions, store experience and B2B drive Accelerate B2B through improved experience Scale homes through high-speed broadband, low-cost access and bundling Win DTH through disproportionate share of digitization and innovation 3 Win with valuable customers 62

8 4 Win with a war on waste 5 Win with people Drive down cost Lower costs and maximise sharing Cut waste by network re-design High-performance culture Grow talent through strong learning, mentoring and succession planning FIG. 3.3 AIRTEL S VISION, OBJECTIVES AND MISSION STATEMENTS FIG. 3.4 A SNAPSHOT FROM AIRTEL S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK FAN PAGE 63

9 2. Vodafone FIG. 3.5 LOGO VODAFONE About Vodafone India: Vodafone India is a member of the Vodafone Group and commenced operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison Telecom acquired the cellular license for Mumbai. Vodafone India is the second largest mobile network operator in India by subscriber base, after Airtel with a market share of 18.42%.It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It has approximately 200 million customers as of August Vodafone India generated revenue Rs 44,490 crores ( ). It has the largest subscriber base globally among the Vodafone Group. Vodafone India is committed to provide innovative, customer friendly and reliable products and services by continuously differentiating itself with a strong brand, best quality network, unique distribution and great customerservice.. 64

10 Commencing operations in 2007, Vodafone has consistently been awarded for best-in-class network, powerful brand, unique distribution and unmatched customer service. Whether an individual or enterprise, Vodafone customers always received world-class services that cater to their needs. Merger with Idea Cellular On 20 March 2017, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular announced that their respective boards had approved a merger of the two companies. The merger will not include Vodafone's 42% stake in Indus Towers Ltd. The merger will create the largest telecom company in India by subscribers and by revenue. Under the terms of the deal, the Vodafone will hold a 45.1% stake in the combined entity, the Aditya Birla Group will hold 26% and the remaining shares will be held by the public. The merger is expected to be completed by March 2019, and the newly merged entity will be named at a later date. Fig. 3.6A SNAPSHOT FROM VODAFONE S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK FAN PAGE 65

11 3. Idea FIG. 3.7 IDEA CELLULAR LOGO Idea Cellular is part of Aditya Birla Group Company, India's first truly multinational corporation. Idea is a pan-india integrated GSM operator offering 2G, 3G and 4G services, and has its own NLD and ILD operations, and ISP license. Idea is one of the top three mobile operators in India, with annual revenue in excess of USD 5 billion and a revenue market share of 19%. Idea serves nearly 200 million subscribers. Idea s pan-india network covers over 400,000 towns and villages across the country. The company is further expanding network infrastructure to make high speed mobile broadband services reach out to over a billion population of the country. Idea executed the fastest 4G roll-out in the country in with one broadband site 66

12 being installed every ten minutes - taking the overall tally of Idea sites to nearly 230,000 and a fibre network of over 1.28 lakh kms. Using the latest in technology, Idea provides world-class service delivery through the most extensive network of customer touch points, comprising of 8,780 exclusive Idea outlets, call centre, Digital app and social media. Idea has consistently retained its leadership position in Mobile Number Portability (MNP), continuing to grow its net gain from MNP to 20 million. 1 in every 4 customers chooses Idea as a preferred telecom operator. Idea s mission statement says "We will delight our Customers while meeting their individual communication needs anytime anywhere". And Idea believes following as their core values: Integrity, Commitment, Passion, Seamlessness, and Speed. Idea has received several national and international recognitions for its pathbreaking innovations in mobile telephony products and services. Idea won the prestigious Voice & Data Telecom Leadership Awards 2016 under the Leadership Recognition category for various successful initiatives and deployments in the areas of Enterprise Services, Customer Service, Marketing, Internet & Broadband, Infrastructure Innovation, and VAS. Idea was recognised as the Best Company of the Year 2015 at India Business Leader Awards by CNBC and is listed among the Top 25 companies in the Business Today Best Companies to Work For Survey. Idea MD Himanshu Kapania was awarded the Best CEO of the year 2015 by Business Today 67

13 and its brand campaign IIN (Idea Internet Campaign) was recognized as the best marketing campaign in 2016 at The Economic Times Telecom Awards. FIG. 3.8A SNAPSHOT FROM IDEA S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK FAN PAGE 68

14 4. Jio FIG. 3.9 RELIANCE JIO INFOCOMM LIMITED LOGO Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, or Jio, is a LTE mobile network operator in India. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries headquartered in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra that provides wireless 4G LTE service network (without 2G/3G based services) and is the only 'VoLTE-only' (Voice over LTE) operator in the country which lacks legacy network support of 2G and 3G, with coverage across all 22 telecom circles in India. The services were first beta-launched to Jio's partners and employees on 27 December 2015 on the eve of 83rd birth anniversary of late Dhirubhai Ambani, founder of Reliance Industries and later services were commercially launched on 5th September Jio s market penetration strategy helped to achieve a market share of 10.98% market share in 6 months time not only created history in Indian telecom industry but compelled the industry for 69

15 consolidation. The industry has already witnessed Vodafone merging with Idea and other telecom operators in discussions for mergers. FIG A SNAPSHOT FROM JIO S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK FAN PAGE 70

16 5. BSNL FIG BSNL Logo About BSNL: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (abbreviated as BSNL) is an Indian stateowned telecommunications company headquartered in New Delhi. It was incorporated on 15th, September 2000 and took over the business of providing of telecom services and network management from the erstwhile Central Government Departments of Telecom Services (DTS) and Telecom Operations (DTO), with effect from 1 October 2000 on a going concern basis. It is the largest provider of fixed telephony and broadband services with more than 60% market share and Fifth largest mobile telephony provider in India. However, in recent years the company's revenues and market share have plummeted into heavy losses due to intense competition in the Indian telecommunications sector. BSNL is India's oldest communication service provider and had a customer base of million as of June It has footprints throughout India except for Mumbai and New Delhi, which are managed by Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL). 71

17 BSNL Mobile is major provider of GSM cellular mobile services under the brand name Cellone. BSNL provides complete telecom services solution to enterprise customers including MPLS, P2P and Internet leased lines. It provides fixed line services and landline using CDMA technology and its extensive optical fiber network. BSNL provides Internet access services through dial-up connection as prepaid, NetOne as Postpaid and DataOne as BSNL Broadband. BSNL offers value-added services, such as Free Phone Service (FPH), India Telephone Card (Prepaid card), Account Card Calling (ACC), Virtual Private Network (VPN), Tele-voting, Premium Rate Service (PRM), Universal Access Number (UAN). BSNL also offers the IPTV which enables customers to watch television through internet and Voice and Video Over Internet Protocol (VVoIP). BSNL s Vision and Mission VISION: Be the leading telecom service provider in India with global presence. Create a customer focused organization with excellence in customer care, sales and marketing. Leverage technology to provide affordable and innovative telecom. Services/products across customer segments. MISSION: Be the leading telecom service provider in India with global presence. Generating value for all stakeholders - employees, shareholders, vendors & business associates. Maximizing return on existing assets with sustained focus on profitability. Becoming the most trusted, preferred and admired telecom brand.to explore International markets for global presence. 72

18 FIG A SNAPSHOT FROM BSNL S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK FAN PAGE 73

19 6. Aircel FIG 3.13 Logo Aircel Aircel is India s fifth largest and fastest growing GSM mobile service provider with a subscriber base of 65.1 million. Aircel is a pan India operator with a presence across 23 circles. The company offers voice & data services ranging from postpaid and prepaid plans, 2G and 3G services, Broadband Wireless Access (BWA), Long Term Evolution (LTE) to Value-Added-Services (VAS). In addition to providing premium internet access solutions to facilitate data intensive live streaming applications, the company has also paved the way to be amongst the first to offer 3G and 4G LTE services to customers. Aircel successfully bid for 3G licenses/ spectrum in 13 states, (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kolkata, Kerala, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh (East), West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar, Orissa, Assam and North East), with BWA licenses/ spectrum also obtained in 8 of these states. Aircel s 3G rollout has been the fastest roll out ever in the Indian Telecom Space. Aircel is optimistic about the data bundling in its key markets. Tamil Nadu, being the strongest circle with spectrum in 900MHz, 3G and BWA and in incumbent circles where the company is strong in voice, will now start adding data bundles. 74

20 In 2006, Aircel was acquired by Malaysia s biggest integrated communications service provider Maxis (Maxis Communication Berhard.) and is a joint venture with Sindya Securities & Investments Pvt Ltd - Maxis holds 74% equity in the company. Aircel has positioned itself as a data led telecom player with a focus on young Indians and has addressed the multi-functionality of a mobile phone in many innovative ways which are Industry firsts, be it the Aircel Pocket Internet, the first social networking mobile INQ on Aircel, Aircel Apollo Mobile Health Care, Blyk on Aircel, an enriching engagement for the Youth and very recently the first telecom player to introduce Facebook Voice Updates on Aircel. The vision of preparing for the future has led to Aircel being recognized as the leading player in providing overall mobile satisfaction as well as the leading regional mobile operator by institutions such as Voice and Data, IDC and tele.net. Aircel was also adjudged the Best Employers by Aon Hewitt in The company s continuous focus is on acquiring, nurturing and retaining highly talented people by providing them with an inclusive and dynamic working environment. It has also set up the Aircel Academy, a 25,000 square foot facility in Gurgaon (HQ) to provide learning and specialized development for employees. Being a caring and responsible corporate, Aircel is involved in initiatives like Save Our Tigers, an effort to save and grow the dwindling population of tigers in India. The Save Our Tigers campaign made India wake up to the alarming fact that there were only

21 tigers left in India through its 360 degree awareness program. Another initiative by Aircel is the a+, initiative which aims to bridge the digital divide. Through Aircel a+ ; Aircel provides underprivileged youth from rural areas access to computers and internet for educational and developmental purposes. FIG A SNAPSHOT FROM AIRCEL S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK FAN PAGE 76

22 7. Reliance communications FIG LOGO RELIANCE COMMUNICATIONS About Reliance Communications: Reliance Group, an offshoot of the Group founded by Shri Dhirubhai H Ambani ( ), ranks among India's top private sector business houses in terms of net worth. The group has business interests that range from telecommunications (Reliance Communications Limited) to financial services (Reliance Capital Ltd) and the generation and distribution of power (Reliance Power Limited and Reliance Infrastructure Limited). Reliance Group's flagship company, Reliance Communications is India's foremost and truly integrated telecommunications service provider. The Company has a customer base of above 118 million including over 2.6 million individual overseas retail customers. Reliance Communications corporate clientele includes over 39,000 Indian and multinational corporations including small 77

23 and medium enterprises and over 290 global, regional and domestic carriers. Reliance Communications has established a pan-india, next generation, integrated (wireless and wireline), convergent (voice, data and video) digital network that is capable of supporting best-of-class services spanning the entire communications value chain, covering over 21,000 cities and towns and over 400,000 villages. Reliance Communications owns and operates the world's largest next generation IP enabled connectivity infrastructure, comprising over 280,000 kilometers of fibre optic cable systems in India, USA, Europe, Middle East and the Asia Pacific region. Other major group companies - Reliance Power, Reliance Infrastructure and Reliance Capital - are widely acknowledged as the market leaders in their respective areas of operation. FIG A SNAPSHOT FROM RELIANCE SOFFICIAL FACEBOOK FAN PAGE 78

24 8. TATA DOCOMO FIG Logo TATA DOCOMO About Tata Teleservices Limited TTL is one of India s leading mobile telecommunications service providers delivering mobile connectivity, content and services to consumers across the country. The company has been at the forefront of redefining the telecom experience in India, launching technologically advanced innovative products and services, playing an enabling role in simplifying consumer lives and expanding digital inclusion. Having a pan-india presence across India's 19 telecom circles, TTL operates in more than 450,000 towns and villages across the country. TTL offers integrated telecom solutions to its customers under the unified brand name Tata Docomo and operates its wireless networks on GSM, CDMA and 3G technology platforms. Tata Docomo has been rated amongst the Top 10 Service Brands and amongst the Top 100 Most Trusted brands in the country. 79

25 TTL is one of the most preferred and relied upon data service provider through its integrated data services and is one of the fastest growing players, in the data market across small screen as well as large screen. Additionally, TTL commands a market leadership in the large screen data space with its Tata Photon family of 3G and Wi-Fi products. In non-voice services the company through its wide range of pioneering offerings such as e-governance, Machine to Machine (M2M) and mremittance (m-rupee) services has helped to improve citizen services, public safety and governance. TTL is a growing market leader in the Enterprise space and provides end to end integrated Voice, Data and Managed solutions to Large and Small Medium Enterprises through its wider network footprint, better operational structure and enhanced customer service support to deliver incremental value. TTL has a robust and largest fibre optic backbone backhaul network running across 1,00,000 km and with a 25,000 km access network covering key cities which is a huge differentiator in providing seamless data services. With 2000 people TTL s strong enterprise business is present in more than 60 cities across India, works with over 750 partners and over 1600 channel teams. 80

26 FIG A SNAPSHOT FROM DOCOMO S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK FAN PAGE 81

27 9. Telenor India FIG LOGO TELENOR Telenor (India) Communications Private Limited, formerly known as Uninor, is an Indian mobile network operator. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor Group. In February 2017, Telenor Group announced merging the India business with Bharti Airtel post necessary regulatory approvals. Telenor India provides mobile services in 6 Indian telecom circles. With million mobile subscriptions (Q4 2016), Telenor holds 100 per cent ownership interest in Telewings Communications Services Pvt. Ltd. It has 4010 employees (Q4 2016) and total revenues of NOK million (2016). With a monthly mobile ARPU: NOK 11 (Q4 2016), the headquarters are located in Gurgaon, close to Delhi. The current CEO of the organization is SharadMehrotra. Eight months after entering into India, Telenor started offering its services in December 2009 with the biggest ever launch in Indian telecommunications history. Telenor is committed to making long-term investments in the Indian mobile market. This way 82

28 Telenor plays an important role in improving network stability and coverage in the country. FIG A SNAPSHOT FROM TELENOR S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK FAN PAGE 83

29 10. MTS India FIG LOGO MTS INDIA About MTS: Sistema ShyamTeleServices Ltd. (SSTL) is a venture, involving equity participation by Sistema Joint Stock Financial Corporation of Russia ( SISTEMA JSFC ), the Russian Federation and the Shyam Group of India. Sistema JSFC is the majority shareholder in the Company. Approximately 2.5% equity stake is held by public. Headquartered in Gurgaon, the Company has invested over USD 3.6 billion in expanding its telecom network across the country. The company launched brand MTS in India in 2009 and recently celebrated its 7th anniversary in the country. With a strong focus on its Data Centric; Voice Enabled strategy, SSTL became one of the top three data service providers in the country. The Company provides telecom services under the brand MTS to close to 10 million wireless subscribers including more than 1.95 million High Speed Mobile 84

30 Broadband customers in over 1250 towns across the country. MTS is well recognized in India and worldwide for its commitment to high quality and innovative telecom solutions. In India, brand MTS has also been recognized as amongst the top 50 service brands in the country in an AC Nielsen- Economic Times survey. SSTL is credited for introducing a number of innovations in the Indian telecom industry. The Company is the pioneer of Half Paisa per Second Calling in the country. SSTL is also the first telecom operator in the country to launch prepaid High Speed Mobile Broadband. The company has taken mobile broadband to another level with the launch of High Speed Data (HSD) services on National Highways. Taking lead in deployment of Wi-Fi hotspots in public places, SSTL rolled out Wi-Fi services to travelers in Rapid Metro trains in Gurgaon. Additionally, SSTL in partnership with Indian Railways rolled out Wi-Fi hotspots in six Railway Stations i.e. Ahmedabad, Agra, Varanasi, Mumbai CST, Howrah and Secunderabad. In 2015, SSTL also powered Wi-Fi roll out in Bhadra, Rajasthan, thereby making it the FIRST town In India to have ubiquitous Wi-Fi coverage. In 2013, SSTL announced the launch of its 3GPLUS telecom network based on state-of-the-art Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Rev. B Phase II technology. This made SSTL the FIRST telecom operator in India to provide ubiquitous 3GPLUS network coverage across all its 9 circles of operations i.e. Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kolkata, Uttar Pradesh (West) and West Bengal. Incidentally, MTS India is also credited to be the FIRST telecom operator in the 85

31 world to have launched the Rev. B Phase II version of the EV-DO network in Jaipur, Rajasthan in September, Beyond business, SSTL has partnered with Responsenet for the India Unite to End Polio Now (IUEPN) campaign organized to create awareness for Polio eradication amongst the masses. The IUEPN campaign is an initiative implemented by Responsenet, in partnership with the Polio Eradication Programme in India, a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), National Polio Surveillance Project (NPSP), Rotary International, and the U.S. Centre for Disease Control (CDC). The IUEPN campaign leverages private sector resources to enhance polio knowledge and vaccination throughout India, specifically targeting nomad and mobile populations. IUEPN achieves this by expanding the polio communication reach to high-risk groups and reinvigorating the polio messaging campaign to the masses with innovative communication mediums such as interactive booths, SMS & voice messaging, local folk theatre along with other locally driven messaging options, posters and wall paintings. As part of the initiative, SSTL has actively participated in awareness drives in several Indian states including Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal - reminding people about the need to get their children vaccinated against Polio. For each awareness drive, SSTL has been creating awareness by sending out SMSs to its customers across locations where the drives are conducted. In 86

32 addition, the Company also provided assistance in arranging publicity material and setting up of Polio booths for administration of Polio drops. SSTL has also partnered with Smile Foundation, a national level development organization reaching out to more than 2 Lakh underprivileged children through various education and health care projects across 22 states of India. Under the partnership SSTL is providing Mobile Broadband support to enhance learning capabilities of underprivileged children studying at 23 Mission Education Centers run by Smile Foundation. This unique project was rolled out in 2012 and has so far impacted more than 16,800 children studying at these centers. Embracing the national goal of Skill India, SSTL, in 2016, provided best-inclass training to over 1500 Students in 24 reputed Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). As part of the initiative, the Company reached out and engaged with 24 prestigious technical Institutes. The team designed special training courses which were modular in nature and in sync with the skilled manpower requirements of the telecom industry. The plan was to ensure that graduating students are First-day, first-hour job ready. The entire initiative was rolled out in technical institutes spread across all of SSTL s 9 circles, i.e. Delhi, UP West, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Kolkata& ROWB. 87

33 FIG A SNAPSHOT FROM MTS S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK FAN PAGE 88

34 11. MTNL FIG Logo MTNL About MTNL : Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) is a stateowned telecommunications service provider in the metro cities of Mumbai and New Delhi in India and in the island nation of Mauritius in Africa. The company had a monopoly in Mumbai and New Delhi until 1992, when the telecom sector was opened to other service providers. "Transparency makes us different" is the motto of the company. The Government of India currently holds 100% stock in the company. Bombay Telephone was founded in The first telephone exchange in Mumbai began operations on 28 January Delhi's first telephone system was established in Mahanagar Telephone Nigam was created by the Government of India in 1986 to oversee the telephone services of Delhi and Mumbai. Products Telephone and Mobile MTNL provides fixed line telephones and WLL services. It also provides mobile services on GSM and CDMA platforms. MTNL various service brands are: 89

35 Dolphin a postpaid GSM service which also provides value added services such as 3G, Trump a prepaid GSM service, similar to Dolphin, Garuda a WLL service which provides an FW tariff, and a Mobile tariff Phone numbers belonging to MTNL start with the prefix 2 in fixed line telephones and WLL. In GSM, mobile numbers start with the prefixes 901x, 9868, 9757, 9869, 9968, and MTNL's efficiency has drastically improved over the years. In the past, a customer had to wait much longer to secure a connection but now he/she can receive a connection within hours of the subscription request being filed. 3G Mobile Service: MTNL started 3G services in India under the name of "MTNL 3G Jadoo." Services offered include video calling, mobile TV and mobile broadband with high speed data connectivity up to 3.6 Mbit/s from 11 December MTNL plans to offer 3G services across India by mid MTNL also provides 3G data cards for usage in devices other than mobile phones. MTNL will be installing 15 lakh 3G lines in the first phase of its 3G roll-out in Mumbai and Delhi (which currently have 40 lakh existing mobile lines). MTNL announced in Jan, 2012 that they will upgrade its 3G network to more advanced HSPA+ with download speeds up to 28.8Mbit/s before the end of MTNL rolled out its BlackBerry solutions on the 2G and 3G networks by launching India s first 3G enabled BlackBerry Bold smart phones. 90

36 Broadband and FTTH MTNL is the largest ISP in Mumbai and Delhi (in terms of market share), and the third largest ISP in India though it has presence just in two circles. MTNL provides TriBand Internet services through dialup and DSL. It provides games on demand, video on demand, and IPTV services in India through TriBand. TriBand is targeted at homes and small businesses. MTNL began offering fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) triple play (voice, video, and data) high speed broadband service in Delhi on 9 November FTTH, with core network speed up to 1 Gbit/s, was launched in Mumbai on 1 March 2012.MTNL FTTH Broadband offers several services based on triple play services like IPTV, HDTV, 3DTV, video on demand, bandwidth on demand, instant video conferencing, interactive gaming and several other value added services. In 2004, telecom regulator TRAI mandated a minimum speed of 256 kbit/s for all broadband connections. MTNL increased the minimum speed of all its broadband plans to 512 kbit/s from existing 256 kbit/s, effective 26 January 2012, becoming the first ISP in India to opt for a minimum broadband speed from 256 kbit/s to 512 kbit/s, without any mandatory regulation. On 12 November 2013, MTNL announced that it would upgrade the speed of all its existing unlimited broadband plans in Mumbai to a minimum of 1 Mbit/s, at no additional cost. MTNL also provides other services such as VPN, VOIP, and leased lines through BSNL and VSNL. 91

37 FIG A SNAPSHOT FROM MTNL S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK FAN PAGE 92