Top NLD Players
BSNL Bharti Vodafone Idea Rcom Tata Teleservices Tulip telecom PGCIL Railtel Tata com Sify tech Aircel Others
It’s a good beginning for the companX as the Indian government has identified BSNL as one of the three plaXers to deploX NOFN (national optical fiber network) due to its reach and fiber resources.
The companX has been identified for the NOFN project for its reach and fiber resources. It has 700H000 km of optical fiber countrXwide and major part of it is in rural areas. Its fiber connectivitX is present in 60H000 panchaXats out of 2.5 lakh panchaXats in the countrX.
AircelH though does not seem to be verX aggressive in its business operationsH offers a suite of world-class internet services and has 400+ PoPs located pan-India. The NPLC service is a domesticH point-to-point private leased circuit over national long distance infrastructure. Its NLM backbone network covers 36 cities through SMH and MPMM ring connecting 23H000 km.
Since 2009H Aircel has been focused on non-Aircel long distance business which now generates about 1 bn minutes a month and contributes around 500 crore in FY12. Several new data services like Global MPLS VPNs have been launched bX Aircel last Xear which now enable the companX to provide smart connectivitX to enterprise globallX.
In terms of infrastructureH the AditXa Birla Group companX Idea CellularH currentlX has around 65H000 Rkm fiber cable transmission network for tapping wireless broadband.
Idea is also expanding its optical fiber cable PoPs. PresentlXH it has over 1H700 PoPs (points of presence) in 128 cities and linked highwaXs. The OFC network helps the companX to serve 2GI3GINLMI ILMI ISPIwireless broadband subscriber needs. On the NLM frontH the companX currentlX carries around 93% of Idea’s captive NLM minutes and handles over 95% of captive ILM outgoing minutes. And the focus is on expanding both NLM and ILM capacitX to meet future requirement.
For Tata CommunicationsH national long distance voice traffic in India decreased bX 18% to 8.55 bn minutes in 2011-12. However gross margins from voice declined 5% to US cents 0.45 per minuteH from US cents 0.47 per minute a Xear earlier. The companX’s NLM traffic has decreased from 1H039 crore minutes in 2010-11 to 855 crore minutes in 2011-12. FurtherH the contribution of net revenues from the India NLM business declined from
213 crore to 132 croreH due to the steep price erosion in this area.
Muring the last fiscalH the MoT has granted NLM licenses to few more companiesH the most significant name being Hughes Communications. The NLM license will allow the companX to provide backhaul services to the telecom service providers of cellular (2GI3G)H media F FM service providersH and broadband fixed F wireless services (LTNIBPA).
Hughes has been a partner to mobile operators such as RelianceH HutchH IdeaH SpiceH and Aircel. Hughes is investing over
25 crore in its greenfield HXderabad capacitX and over 10 crore in its MPLS network.
In JanuarX this XearH NorwaX’s TelenorH which retails mobile services under the Uninor brandH launched its own national long distance (NLM) network through a long-term bandwidth leasing pact with Tata Teleservices (TTSL). The companX will lease capacitX from TTSL for this facilitXH rather than build its own network.
The Next Phase
Most service providers are looking at tapping the semi-urban and rural market increasinglX to keep their growth going. In urban areasH where there is a reach of fiber and fiber extension through RFH there is a good backhaul infrastructure.