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Rx For Financial Health Of Telcos

Telecom companies in India have gone through a phase of consolidation and are still reeling under the financial stress triggered by the disruption in the market, low ARPU despite the recent tariff hike by the telcos, and last but not the least, the AGR payment crisis that is threatening to create a duopoly market in the country. The TLF panel discussion deliberated on what ails the industry, the available financial options and how the government can support the industry to make it healthier. The key participants in the discussion moderated by Voice&Data Consulting Editor Shubhendu Parth included Bharti Enterprises Vice-Chairman and Bharti Infratel Executive Chairman Akhil Gupta, Broadband India Forum President TV Ramachandran, and COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews. Excerpts:

“Telecom data network is the superhighway of all future services”

It has been a long 40-year journey for him—from leading the HR function at DCM Shriram Group in 1979, to steering India’s wireless telecom industry as the Managing Director of Bharti Enterprises Limited, and then his five-year stint as executive chairman of SB Energy, a joint venture between Softbank, Bharti and Foxconn. The Voice&Data Lifetime Achievement Award winner for 2019 and Softbank India’s Country Head Manoj kohli talks with Shubhendu Parth about the challenges and opportunities of the telecom sector in India. Excerpts:

“Technology is our middle name”

As a passionate engineer, he considers himself fortunate to be leading a technology company at a time when digital advancement is transforming everyday lives. An alumnus of IIT Kanpur and University of California, Berkeley, he completed his PhD in Materials Engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA before joining Sterlite Technologies Limited (STL) in 1995. The winner of Voice&Data Pathbreaker of the Year Award for 2019 and STL CEO Dr. Anand Agarwal shares his views with As a passionate engineer, he considers himself fortunate to be leading a technology company at a time when digital advancement is transforming everyday lives. An alumnus of IIT Kanpur and University of California, Berkeley, he completed his PhD in Materials Engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA before joining Sterlite Technologies Limited (STL) in 1995. The winner of Voice&Data Pathbreaker of the Year Award for 2019 and STL CEO Dr. Anand Agarwal shares his views with Shubhendu Parth on the company’s journey, new business opportunities and Make in India. Excerpts: on the company’s journey, new business opportunities and Make in India. Excerpts:

“A CDO is often asked to enhance digital revenue of the company”

Tata Communications Chief Digital Officer C R Srinivasan is responsible for the overall digital and security strategy and execution for the company. As technologist and a business leader, he also heads the company’s global business for cloud and security, enabling digital transformation initiatives for customers. He is also responsible for creating industry standards in cloud computing solutions for customers coupled with solidifying the internal digital processes and delivering technical solutions to enhance business growth and productivity. In an interaction with Thomas George, he talked about emerging technology trends, different aspects of digital transformation, and the emerging role of a CDO. Excerpts from the interview:

“5G will create more opportunities for the operators”

The 1978-batch IAS officer with a master’s degree in mathematics from IIT-Kanpur and another in computer science from the University of California brings an amazing mix of technology and bureaucracy that allowed him to make a difference at every stage of his civil services—as a District Collector in Begusarai, Purnea, and Dhanbad or as UIDAI Director General, Jharkhand Chief Secretary and IT, and Communications Secretary. The Voice&Data Telecom Person of the Year for 2019 and TRAI Chairman Ram Sewak Sharma touches upon his role as a regulator, the changing business model of telecom service providers (TSPs) and opportunities that the 5G is likely to bring in. Excerpts from an interview with Shubhendu Parth:

Unlocking manufacturing growth in India

The panel discussion on Unlocking Manufacturing Growth in India at the TLF 2020 was moderated by Infomo Global Pte Ltd Strategic Advisor & Group COO Sukanta Dey.

The game-changer for telecom

Delivering the industry keynote at the TLF 2020, on Service Orchestration and Close Loop Assurance in 5G, HPE CMS Solution Specialist for OSS/BSS and Orchestration Azad Singh said that the company can help with service orchestration and close loop assurance in 5G.

Leveraging digital era growth

There was a panel discussion on Leveraging Digital Era Growth at the TLF India 2020.

Indian telecom's winter of discontent

Is a spring of revival now a dream or still a strong possibility?

Building the internet for the future

At the Voice&Data Telecom Leadership Forum (TLF) 2020, Cisco Systems Asia Pacific and Japan, and Service Provider Business President Sanjay Kaul presented on ‘building the internet for the future.’

Will The Golden Era Return?

Regulatory reforms, in conjunction with a widespread network transformation, could make the sector a bedrock of digital revolution

TECH FOR INCLUSIVE GROWTH

Tech for good–a topic done to death or the tip of an iceberg? Well it is both

SETTING TELECOM TRENDS

Telecos will emerge from being the underlying vessel of delivery to become the front runner digital content provider

SATELLITE NETWORKS PLAYED A PIVOTAL CORNERSTONE

India missed an opportunity in cellular satellite technologies like HTS and needs to make up by accelerating adoption of LEO satellites

MEETING THE CHALLENGE

A suitable policy framework and regulator for the broadband are essential to enable private players contribute to the projects of national importance

IT'S A LEAPFROG MOMENT

India can combine its software prowess with massive telecom reach to lead technology creation and deployment at scale

CONNECTING THE UNCONNECTED

The governments push on BharatNet could be a game changer if we can dovetail sustainable business models with the infrastructure

CHANGING DC DYNAMICS

The new role of telcos is less about being data center service providers and more about interconnecting data centers and clouds

A MODEL ROADMAP FOR A SMARTER WORLD

The Gurugram smart city project is a model roadmap in the making for other smart cities to adapt and deploy

Twenty for 2020

As more enterprises adopt the mobile-first strategy, data privacy will become a strategic differentiator to establish trust. Here is a list of trends that will happen and some others that may disappoint you.

Regenerating consumer electronics industry

Manufacturers are adopting groundbreaking technologies to meet the growing demands of the digital natives and new-era customers, thanks to AI and data connectivity.

No respite to telecom sector woes

With the AGR dues overweighing green shoots of deleveraging and restoration of pricing power, the Indian telecom industry will continue to reel under pressure

India should use PPP model to scale up telecom infrastructure

He specializes in greenfield telecom ventures and loves building businesses from zilch. The head of convergence business at Sterlite Power, NK Panda is also working towards creating a nationwide fibre optic network primarily on power utility infrastructure. In an interaction with Anusha Ashwin he talks about the strengths of the company, its efforts to make India digitally empowered, and fibre optic connection plans. Excerpts:

Dawn of the digital decade

5G is expected to have a deep and lasting impact on the country’s economy and open up a plethora of business possibilities. Here is what you can look forward to during the year

Blockchain makes real-time intel sharing possible

Subex, a leading telecom analytics solutions provider, has joined hands with the Risk & Assurance Group (RAG) to provide a Blockchain-based fraud management solution to its customers. As part of this alliance, Subex becomes part of the RAG Wangiri Blockchain Consortium, which seeks to use the technology to gather real-time industry threat intelligence about fraudsters. The consortium includes some of the world’s leading Communications Service Providers (CSPs) from North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. In an interaction with Voice&Data’s Pradeep Chakraborty, Subex Products and Strategy head Rohit maheshwari shares more details about the partnership. Excerpts:

Before the party begins

The 5G device ecosystem is bound to develop well, not just in anticipation of new radio rollouts but also in preparation of applications such as edge AI, VR, and AR

A checklist for extraordinary success

How the service provider can address the growth market and move beyond the traditional subscriber-driven revenue model

5G to enable smart home interoperability

Beside a slew of cutting-edge technologies and solutions that were showcased, the largest exhibition by China in India also displayed products that can make life simpler.

5 trends to look for in 2020

As we get ready for an era of AI-enabled apps, the “Low-code No-code” framework is beginning to decentralise product development, allowing everyone an equal chance to create interesting apps

Ready, Steady, Deploy NextGen Robust Network

Before 5G can deliver on its promises and quality of service metrics, wireless systems designers and engineers must overcome sizable challenges. They need to solve the complexities across the spectrum—impeding device, network and data center design