Sectors

Skip Navigation LinksHomeSectors - Market news - Top 10THE TOP 10: Bharti Airtel extends its reach

THE TOP 10: Bharti Airtel extends its reach

Date: 01 Sep 2008

India's leading mobile phone firm is attempting to expand its network via the country's vast and largely untapped rural population. The firm's chief executive, Manoj Kohli, is not concerned that average revenue per user is falling and is on the lookout for acquisitions, but he's not naming names. Ruth David reports.

In Hong Kong, it's not unusual to see people chatting on their mobile phones in the subway. Cut to India's commercial hub Mumbai, and you're more likely to see users cursing their network providers as a call cuts out for the umpteenth time. But to be a wireless business in a market that added 100 million subscribers in the year to July is to be in a sweet spot. And sitting pretty is Bharti Airtel, with a leading market share of 24.2%.

As it wooed new users and encouraged existing ones to talk more, New Delhi-based Bharti cut rates in April, prompting other firms to follow suit in a market that has among the lowest tariffs in the world. Average revenues per user have suffered, falling 10% in the last quarter. But the management isn't worried.

"Average revenues per user aren't a valid parameter in India," says Manoj Kohli,...

To continue reading the rest of the article, you will need to be an Asiamoney subscriber.

Asiamoney subscribers will receive full access to the following:

  • All the latest news, analysis and opinion at Asiamoney.com, Asiamoney WM (Wealth Management), and ACN (Asiamoney China) .
  • Breaking news alerts sent directly to your PC/mobile device.
  • Asiamoney’s Polls and Awards section.
  • Asiamoney’s extensive online archive
  • Asiamoney Week: our email service featuring the most widely read news and opinion pieces on Asia’s financial markets from our website over the previous seven days

If you would like to start your subscription, please contact our subscriptions team at (+852) 2842 6998.

If you are experiencing any problems with your access, please contact Customer Service by phone at (+852) 2842 6910 (Hong Kong), (+44) (0) 20 7779 8999 (UK), (+1) 212 224 3570 (US) or contact us by email at subscriptions@asiamoney.com.

Kind regards,

Asiamoney
http://www.asiamoney.com


Already have an account?

Subscriber Login


Forgotten your password?

Subscribe

Subscribers have unlimited access to all current and archive content. Start your subscription today - click on the button below.

Free trial

Taking a free trial will give you access to the current issue for two weeks (excluding selected articles, poll results and achives). Start your free trial today.

Related articles

  • China urged to restructure bad local government debt  29 Jul 2010
    Beijing needs to take responsibility for potential local government debts going bad, according to HSBC. The lender sees a bond-for-loans swap as the most realistic solution.

  • Korean bonds benefit as country becomes safer  29 Jul 2010
    Analysts are becoming increasingly bullish on South Korean bonds as the government takes steps to make its export-driven economy more resilient to external financial shocks.

  • JP Morgan bolsters global trade practice  29 Jul 2010
    The US bank announced a raft of senior hires across its global trade business to capture what it expects to be unprecedented growth. Many of its recruits are new appointments in Asia-Pacific, indicating its view of the region’s rich potential.

  • A week in Asia’s business news  29 Jul 2010
    China’s bank regulator warns that 23% of last year’s loans to local government vehicles could go sour, Citic Group looks to IPO in Hong Kong, Panasonic aims to buy out minority shareholders of two entities and New Delhi approves a sale of 20% of its largest electricity grid provider.

  • Rivals underestimate Japan potential: Barclays Wealth  29 Jul 2010
    The Asia-Pacific chief executive of Barclays Wealth, Didier von Daeniken, believes international banks don’t recogise the importance of domestic consumer loyalty in Japan in what he sees as a product sales approach.

Most read articles

  1. Jefferies grabs senior CLSA equities duo in Asia push

  2. Citi and Deutsche lead Asia's largest Cash Management Poll

  3. Opinion: How Henry Cai's move affects Deutsche and UBS

  4. CHINA - Tianjin plots financial re-launch

  5. Private banking industry showing signs of strain


All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright laws. © Euromoney Institutional Investor (Jersey) Ltd 2010.