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Context is everything.
Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
The rollout of 4G service at tariffs much lower than the competition is helping the public sector telco finally emerge as a credible alternative.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, the Indian public sector telecom company, seemed like a lost cause. It was on the verge of closure in 2019 and, even a few months ago, its employees union said it was “sinking deep into the crisis”. But now, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel.
BSNL’s competitors—Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea—increased tariffs in July this year. The fallout was immediate. Jio and Airtel, whose subscriber numbers were growing until that point, lost 12.72 million and 5.52 million subscribers, respectively, in the period between July and September. Vodafone Idea was …
A quarter with subscriber gains portends well for the telecom operator, but its underlying metrics tell a more cautious story.
Instead of going after scale like Jio, the Sunil Bharti Mittal-led telecom giant is chasing a smaller but higher-quality customer base to grow its home broadband segment. Will the bet pay off?
Mukesh Ambani wants investors to price Reliance Industries’ IPO-bound telecom arm like a technology business. In reality, Jio’s tech ambitions remain a work in progress.
