New focus for Indian telecom giant Airtel

Wednesday, 20 November 2013 11:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Established in Sri Lanka just five years ago and the last entrant to the fiercely competitive mobile telecom industry, Bharti Airtel Lanka has made considerable progress. It became the fastest operator to reach one million customers in Sri Lanka. As one of Sri Lanka’s largest foreign investors, Airtel has invested over $ 300 million in Sri Lanka and has achieved island-wide coverage in less than two years which has enabled it to emerge as Sri Lanka’s fastest expanding network. Globally Bharti Airtel has grown to be multinational with operations in 20 countries. Airtel secured a position as one of the principal sponsors of the mega Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF) which drew nearly 1,500 foreign and local participants last week. Determined to be the leader in the telecom sphere, Airtel has a new focus and strategy that will help reach the goal it set for itself when it entered the country, which is to be the most loved brand. Shortly after the end of the CBF 2013 in Colombo, visiting Bharti Airtel MD and CEO for International Operations Manoj Kohli spoke to the Daily FT on what the telecom giant plans on doing in Sri Lanka and how it will capture its target market share. Kohli, pleased with recent developments of the country, also shared his sentiments on Sri Lanka’s progress. Following are excerpts of the interview: By Shabiya Ali Ahlam Q: Airtel being the principal sponsor for the Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF) 2013, how is this going to help the company? A: We would like to build mobile internet as a big focus. Through this forum we are attracting the large corporations, businessman, and entrepreneurs of Sri Lanka for them to look at Airtel as a partner. I think the CBF gives us the opportunity to attract such segments. Q: Sri Lanka was the first country for Airtel to explore out of India. How has the performance been so far? A: We believe that Sri Lanka is a good market for us and we are doing well. We are now focusing on making Airtel a mobile internet company. We are very clear that in Sri Lanka our business should be mobile internet. This is because we are seeing fantastic response from customers on internet, mostly from the youth, professionals, and the SME segment. At Airtel we believe this is where Sri Lanka will grow with the new economic development. We are further improving our network coverage, network quality, and network speed. If people start using Airtel for mobile internet, they will stop being with the service providers that are currently with. There are three areas that we are looking at. The first is to improve our 3G network, the second is to offer more smart phones, and the third is to have more creative packages and schemes for internet. This allows the customer to use our service more conveniently. We are planning a new internet scheme called ‘Good Morning Sri Lanka’ as well. It will create a lot of excitement on the side of internet and data. Q: So has the message of Airtel’s service being of high quality effectively reached the target audience? A: It will reach. We have taken a decision. The Airtel team in Sri Lanka will convert this decision into action at all levels. Q: Airtel has been expanding rapidly around the world. Could you talk about that growth story? A: It has been a very good experience and we are now in 20 countries and it has been a profound experience. One has to understand the culture, needs and the regulations of every country, and by knowing that, it is important to adjust. That is what we are doing in Sri Lanka and all the other countries we are in. It has been a very positive journey with lots of learning and challenges, and luckily, we have been able to overcome the challenges. Q: Speaking of Airtel’s 20 countries in five years. Is growth controlled? A: It most certainly is. We control very strongly. Our operational controls are very high. We have a very good governance mechanism and this is good for controlling 20 countries. Q: Is Airtel looking at exploring new countries? A: We are looking at some countries but at the moment our aim is to consolidate in the regions we are currently in so we can do better. We aim at capturing a higher market share. Q: Recently there was talk on Airtel planning to sell out. Could you shed some light on that? A: I cannot comment on that since these are speculations. Q: How did the rumour start? A: Such things happen. Not only in Sri Lanka but in many other countries this happens. Eventually the rumours die off. That is why I don’t want to comment on such matters, because it is pure speculation. Q: You were a part of the CBF 2013 as a speaker. What is the learning there? A: I came here looking for a new Sri Lanka and I am finding that the nation is definitely changing. My biggest learning from this visit is that there is a new enthusiasm in the nation to grow and to do better. Is see aspirations for it to be a modern and digital economy. And this is an important learning. Q: What is your overall impression about the CBF 2013? A: I think the government has done an excellent job. I can see infrastructure improving and can see that the government is achieving certain stability in the country and is keen on bringing in more investments. It’s a positive change. I think Sri Lanka is definitely showing a new passion for growth, and new energy for growth. I can see it in the Government and the people, they have fantastic energy. I really like to complement the President of Sri Lanka for his efforts in leading this country as a visionary. He is leading with a strong mission on growth and stability. Pic by Upul Abayasekara