The Hindu Business Line : We hope issues relating to 3G are settled soon

New Delhi, Dec. 31 If there is one company that which has leveraged on the telecom success story to the hilt it is Bharti Airtel. Business Line caught up with Mr Akhil Gupta, Joint Managing Director, Bharti Airtel Ltd to know his views on the year gone by and outlook for the coming year.

Are you happy with the way things have shaped up in the telecom sector in the past one year? Was this the most challenging year?

It has most certainly been a great year of the telecom sector. In particular, mobile services have given a new dimension to the growth of telephony and the industry is taking affordable telecom services to every corner of the nation. More importantly, India emerged as the fastest growing wireless market in the world and the industry achieved the Government’s target of 250 million phone connections well before the December 2007 deadline. I am very confident that the industry will be able to sustain the current growth momentum over the next few years.

For Bharti Airtel it has been yet another year of strong growth and leadership. The company crossed the 50 million subscriber mark becoming the fastest private telecom company in world to achieve this landmark in a single country and entering the top 10 global telcos club.

Do you see an end to the stalemate in the telecom sector? What is the impact it is having on the business?

In a competitive industry such as ours, there is often a debate on host of issues. I am sure that the industry and government will work together towards an appropriate solution that is in the interest of everyone.

What is your outlook for the telecom industry for 2008?

I believe that the telecom sector is expected to witness yet another year of high growth. Mobile population expected to hover between 325 to 350 million by end of 2008. Driven by a significant addition in rural telephony, overall population coverage in the country is expected to increase from 65 per cent to 80 per cent. Infrastructure sharing by operators through creation of standalone infrastructure companies is going to play a significant role in this. Mobile commerce is expected to penetrate further. The urban customers will of course be introduced to new services in this area. But its impact will be felt most distinctly in the rural areas, where it will help strengthen the rural microfinance projects.

Money transfer over the mobile and m-commerce are tipped to be the next best thing to happen after SMS and Hello Tunes. This would enable millions of Indians working abroad to easily transfer money to their families back in India via their mobile phones. Customer experience with broadband is expected to go up, particularly in terms of diversification of the service portfolio and enhanced speed of delivery. For instance, Airtel has recently launched 8 mbps for its broadband customers and is gearing up to offer 16 mbps in the near future.

Customers, particularly in small towns and rural areas will be gaining with affordable tariffs and increased menu of services. Notwithstanding the fact that telecom tariff in India is already the lowest in the world, operators will continue to revisit tariffs to reflect savings in further costs. The industry only hopes that the issues relating to 3G are settled soon and the country gears up for the launch of the same, introducing customers to a whole new world of mobile data services.

I believe, 2008 will not only witness accelerated telecom penetration, bringing more people into the network but will significantly expand the service portfolio as well to make telecom a more wholesome experience.

What would be your wish list that will enable the telecom sector to maintain growth?

We have for very long been demanding the rationalisation of high taxes being levied on the telecom sector. We are committed to passing the benefits to customers and this will help in further expanding the market.

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