The turmoil in the telecom service provider market had its direct impact on the infrastructure and managed services market as well. With the number of telcos down from 14–15 earlier to just about 4 now, the pie itself has shrunk. This is triggering consolidation in these market segments as well. In the passive infrastructure segment, the consolidation has already kickstarted and some of the deals have been closed as well. In the active infrastructure segment, the effect is telling in terms of rising competitive pressure.
1 INDUS TOWERS
Rethinking Growth
The world’s largest towerco outside China staved off a tough year with a notionally negative growth and an M&A plan
Indus Towers continued to lead the pack of carrier infrastructure companies despite minor drop in overall revenues from Rs 19,590 crore in FY 2017–18 to Rs 19,524 crore in 2018–19. However, there was not much that the company could have done to deal with the exceptional situation that triggered substantial tenancy losses for more than a year, thanks to the consolidation of the telecom sector and 4G densification that led to a slowdown of base transceiver stations (BTS). While the exit penalties would partially offset the revenue loss, that was not enough to prevent a minor 0.3% negative revenue growth during the fiscal.
Nevertheless, the company bagged some very interesting projects during the period. The FY saw the towerco deploy 50 intelligent poles in Vadodara under the state government’s Smart City Mission. The project would enable Vadodara offer city-wide public WiFi, as well as install smart billboards, CCTV cameras and environmental censors. The company also tied up with Indian Oil Corporation to launch Fuel@doorstep, an initiative to deliver diesel at its sites in Jaunpur through a fully automated and geofenced mobile dispenser.
This story is from the November, 2019 edition of Voice and Data.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November, 2019 edition of Voice and Data.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Navigating Social Media Risks With AI
Amidst the complexities of social media, harness the power of Al to protect privacy, enhance mental health, and combat misinformation effectively
V&D leadership forum explores the future of a connected world
The TLF was attended by 250+ technology and business decision-makers and policymakers across the communication and broadcasting sector
Data, chips, and India's AI mission
The Rs-10,372-crore initiative seeks to position the country as a global Al powerhouse, enhancing its capacity for research and innovation
Where jellyfishes work better than whales
Edge Distributed Computing is revolutionising Supercomputing, offering agility, cost-effectiveness, and real-time decision-making
The unexpected shift
Disillusioned from the Cloud, more organisations are now looking at cost-effective, secure prefab containerised Edge Data Centres for business agility
The Silicon game: Reaping 5G gold
In-built hardware can be a big amplifier for 5G adoption, reshaping connectivity paradigms and fuelling innovations in telecom, IoT, and beyond
New video streaming to shake up the data market
D2M technology paves the way for data-free video streaming, offering broader content access while potentially unsettling the telecom sector
Pathbreakers of the Year (2023)
The vision, determination, and groundbreaking initiatives of three discerning telecom industry leaders have been pivotal in laying the foundation for the seamless deployment of the world's largest 5G networks within record time.
Lifetime Achievement (2023)
Aluminary in India's telecommunications landscape, Mukesh D Ambani stands as a beacon of transformative leadership.
Telecom Person of the Year (2023)
A bureaucrat par excellence, K Rajaraman's visionary leadership has been instrumental in driving domestic telecom equipment manufacturing and streamlining decision-making processes within the DoT.