IN DEPTH STUDY OF DISTRIBUTION OF RELIANCE TELCOM , MARKET ANALYSIS, TARIFF AND PLAN, FEEDBACK FROM THE MARKET, COLLECT

DATA FROM RETAIL OUTLETS AND DISTRIBUTORS

A Thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of :MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN HUMAN RESOURCE AND MARKETING

PREFACE

The subject of my project The study in the depth of distributors of Handsets and RCVs outlets of RIM (in Ranchi) vis--vis competition and to suggest the area of improvement and to understand service level of retailers of RIM products vis--vis competitive products. It has been done with the purpose of improvement in the marketing channels and the distribution process, so that to increase the sales of the RIM Handsets and RCVs as well as to satisfy the customers. Marketing distribution is one of the most important processes in the field of marketing. Recognizing the proper place of the distribution in the market and doing well for customers and retailers, retaining and motivating retailers, minimizing competition, and building up as a strong leader in the market in favor of consumers as well as retailers. Distribution may be confined to the area or may be with the other competitors. Therefore, both the area has been given profound emphasis in the project report.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ABOUT RELIANCE COMMUNICATION MAJOR PLAYERS IN JHARKHAND ABOUT THE COMPETITORS MILESTONES OF RCOM VALUE ADDED SERVICES (ROAMING) OF RELIANCE RESEARCH TIMELINE LIMITATIONS STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM RESEARCH OBJECTIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AREA VISITED OBSERVATION AND FINDINGS

 COMPARING WITH COMPETITORS CONCLUSION MARKETING CHANNEL OF RELIANCE RECOMMENDATION AND SUGGESTIONS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BIBLIOGRAPHY

INTRODUCTION
October 18, 2004 could have been just another day for Indians-hot, humid, and dehydrating. But, three events took place that day, and each had the potential to turn history around. The most important news event of the day almost went unnoticed. For the first time in history, the number of mobile phone exceeded the number of landlines in the country. While cellular subscriber crossed the 44 million mark, fixed lines were at 43.82 million. In this context CDMA mobile have major share. Cellular phone growth has been led by a fundamental need of any growing economycheap, effective communication that is accessible to every person.

India has become one of the fastest growing mobile markets in the world. The mobile services were commercially launched in August 1995 in India. In the initial 5-6 years the average monthly subscribers additions were around 0.05 to 0.1 million only and the total mobile subscribers base in December 2002 stood at 10.5 millions. However, after the number of proactive initiatives taken by regulator and licensor, the monthly mobile subscriber additions increased to around 2 million per month in the year 2003-04 and 2004-05 . The number of mobile phones added throughout the country in 2003 was 16 million, followed by 22 millions in 2004, 32 million in 2005 , 65 million in 2006 , 189 million in 2007 and 300million in 2008. This project is enriched with vital information about mobile phones apart from the various features offered by the various mobile manufacturing companies. We scoured shops, visited companies websites; spoke to various users as source of information in the cellular phone models officially available in Ranchi mobile market. We have tried to come out with the most preferred brand in the Ranchi mobile market.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

In 1975, the Department of Telecom (DoT) was separated from P&T. DoT was responsible for telecom services in entire country until 1985 when Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) was carved out of DoT to run the telecom services of Delhi and Mumbai. In 1990s the telecom sector was opened up by the Government for private investment as a part of Liberalization-Privatization-Globalization policy. Therefore, it became necessary to separate the Government's policy wing from its operations wing. The Government of India corporatized the operations wing of DoT on October 01, 2000 and named it as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). Many private operators, such as Reliance India Mobile, Tata Telecom, Hutch, BPL, Bharti, Idea etc., successfully entered the high potential Indian telecom market.

This project is enriched with vital information about mobile phones apart from the various features offered by the various mobile manufacturing companies. We scoured shops, visited companies websites; spoke to various users as source of information in the cellular phone models officially available in Ranchi mobile market.

DHIRUBHAIS DREAM :Late Dhirubhai Hirachand Ambani built Reliance from scratch to be in the reckoning for a place in the Global Fortune 500 list. This achievement is even more significant due to the fact, that the entire growth was achieved in an organic manner and in a span of just 25 years. The corporate philosophy he followed was short simple and succinct Think big. Think differently. Think fast. Think ahead. Aim for the best. He inspired the Reliance team to do better than the best not only in India but also in the world. Dhirubhai Ambani, Founder Chairman of the Reliance Group, employed telephone as a powerful tool of communication. He used telephone to defeat distance, to compress time, to remain a breast of events. He was acutely aware of the power of the information and communications. He would often say: make the tools of info-com available to people at an affordable cost, they will overcome the handicaps of illiteracy and lack of mobility. He wanted a telephone call to be cheaper than a postcard. This, he believed, would transform every home, empower every Indian, remove the roadblocks of opportunity and demolish the barriers that divide our society. Reliance Infocomm is a fascinating outcome of this powerful conviction. It is a major initiative to translate his inspiring dream into reality.

ABOUT RELIANCE COMMUNICATION

Reliance Infocomm is the outcome of the late visionary Dhirubhai Ambanis (1932-2002) dream to herald a digital revolution in India by bringing affordable means of information and communication to the doorsteps of Indias vast population. Make the tools of info-com available to people at an affordable cost, they will overcome the handicaps of illiteracy and lack of mobility, Dhirubhai Ambani charted out the mission for Reliance Infocomm in late 1999. He saw in the potential of information and communication technology an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for India to leapfrog over its historical legacy of backwardness and underdevelopment. Working at breakneck speed, from late 1999 to 2002 Reliance Infocomm built the backbone for a digital India 60,000 kilometers of fiber optic backbone, crisscrossing the entire country. The Reliance Infocomm panIndia network was commissioned in December 28.2002, the 70th birth anniversary of Dhirubhai Ambani. This day also marked his first birth anniversary after his demise July -6, 2002. Reliance Infocomm network is a pan-India, high capacity, integrated (wireless and wire line) and convergent (voice, data and video) digital network, designed to offer services that span the entire Infocomm value chain infrastructure, services for enterprises and individuals, applications and consulting. The network is designed to deliver services that will foster a new way of life for a New India.

RELIANCE ANIL DHIRUBHAI AMBANI GROUP Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, an offshoot of the Reliance Group founded by Shri Dhirubhai H. Ambani (1932-2002), ranks among Indias top three private sector business houses in terms of net-worth. The group has business interests that range from telecommunications (Reliance Telecommunications Ventures Ltd.) to financial services (Reliance Capital Ltd.) to the generation and distribution of power (Reliance Energy Ltd.). Reliance ADA Groups flagship company, Reliance Communications, is Indias largest private sector information and Communications Company with over 20 million subscribers The Company has established a panIndia, high capacity, integrated (wireless and wire line) and convergent (voice, data and video) digital network, designed to offer services that span the entire Infocomm value chain. Other major group constituents Reliance Capital, Reliance Energy are widely acknowledged as the market leaders in their respective areas of operation.

Reliance Energy Ltd.

Reliance Mutual Fund

Harmony

Reliance Communications

Reliance General Insurance

Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group

Reliance Life Insurance

Reliance Portfolio Management Service

Chairmans Profile

ANIL DHIRUBHAI AMBANI Birthplace : Mumbai, India Date of Birth : June 4, 1959 Fathers Name : Dhirubhai Hirachand Ambani Education:

 Bachelor of Science, University of Bambay MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA Career: Joined Reliance in 1983, as CO-chief Executive Officer. He has to his credit many financial innovations in the Indian Capital markets Pioneered Indias first forays into the overseas capital market with international public offerings of global depository receipts, convertibles and bonds. Directed Reliance in its efforts to raise, since 1991, around US$2 billion from overseas financial markets

VISION : We will leverage our strengths to execute complex global-scale projects to facilitate leading-edge information and communication services affordable to all individual consumers and businesses in India. We will offer unparalleled value to create customer delight and enhance business productivity. We will also generate value for our capabilities beyond Indian borders and enable millions of India's knowledge workers to deliver their services globally. o Loved by more customers o Targeted by top talent o Benchmarked by more business

We at Reliance always think in fresh and innovative ways about the needs of our customers and how we want them to feel. We deliver what we promise and go out of our way to delight the customer with a little bit more

Major players in Jharkhand Telecom Circles

Jharkhand Telecom Circle is committed to provide the best of the telecom services to its esteemed customers in the wide area of Basic Telephones, Mobile Services, Rural Telecommunication, Internet, Wireless in local loop (WLL) Services, Data Communication, Telegraph and other New / Value Added Services like Intelligent Network Services, ISDN, Video Conferencing etc. The telecom companies which are currently operational in Jharkhand telecom circle are :-

Airtel Reliance BSNL Aircel Tata indicom Idea Vodafone

ABOUT THE COMPETITORS

AIRTEL :Airtel comes to you from Bharti Airtel Limited, Indias largest integrated and the first private telecom services provider with a footprint in all the 23 telecom circles. Bharti Airtel since its inception has been at the forefront of technology and has steered the course of the telecom sector in the country with its world class products and services. The businesses at Bharti Airtel have been structured into three individual strategic business units (SBUs) - Mobile Services, Airtel Telemedia Services & Enterprise Services. The mobile business provides mobile & fixed wireless services using GSM technology across 23 telecom circles while the Airtel Telemedia Services business offers broadband & telephone services in 94 cities. The Enterprise services provide end-toend telecom solutions to corporate customers and national & international long distance services to carriers. All these services are provided under the Airtel brand.

IDEA :-

IDEA Cellular is a publicly listed company, having listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in March 2007. IIDEA Cellular is a leading GSM mobile service operator with pan India licenses. With a customer base of over 44 million in 17 service areas, operations are soon expected to start in Chennai Metro; Kolkata & West Bengal, North East & Assam, and J&K A brand known for many firsts, IDEA was the first to launch GPRS and EDGE in India. IDEA has partnered with Research in Motion (RIM) to offer Blackberry services on its network. IDEA 'NetSetter'- Plug & Play, EDGE enabled USB Data Card offers affordable data connectivity with faster speed and consistency. IDEA offers seamless coverage to roaming customers traveling to any part of the country, as well as to international traveling customers across over 200 countries. IDEA Cellular has partnership with over 400 operators worldwide to ensure that customers are always connected while on the move, across the globe.

VODAFONE :Vodafone Group Plc is the world's leading mobile telecommunications company, with a significant presence in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the United States through the Company's subsidiary undertakings, joint ventures, associated undertakings and investments. The Group's mobile subsidiaries operate under the brand name 'Vodafone'. In the United States the Group's associated undertaking operates as Verizon Wireless. During the last two financial years, the Group has also entered into arrangements with network operators in

countries where the Group does not hold an equity stake. Under the terms of these Partner Network Agreements, the Group and its partner networks co-operate in the development and marketing of global services under dual brand logos.

BSNL :Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. formed in October, 2000, is World's 7th largest Telecommunications Company providing comprehensive range of telecom services in India: Wireline, CDMA mobile, GSM Mobile, Internet, Broadband, Carrier service, MPLS-VPN, VSAT, VoIP services, IN Services etc. Within a span of five years it has become one of the largest public sector unit in India. BSNL has installed Quality Telecom Network in the country and now focusing on improving it, expanding the network, introducing new telecom services with ICT applications in villages and wining customer's confidence. Today, it has about 47.3 million line basic telephone capacity, 4 million WLL capacity, 20.1 Million GSM Capacity, more than 37382 fixed exchanges, 18000 BTS, 287 Satellite Stations, 480196 Rkm of OFC Cable, 63730 Rkm of Microwave Network connecting 602 Districts, 7330 cities/towns and 5.5 Lakhs villages.

Scaling new heights of success, the present turnover of BSNL is more than Rs.351,820 million (US $ 8 billion) with net profit to the tune of Rs.99,390 million (US $ 2.26 billion) for last financial year. The infrastructure asset on telephone alone is worth about Rs.630,000 million (US $ 14.37 billion). BSNL plans to expand its customer base from present 47 millions lines to 125 million lines by December 2007 and infrastructure investment plan to the tune of Rs. 733 crores (US$ 16.67 million) in the next three years.

TATA INDICOM :Tata Teleservices is part of the INR 2,51,543 Crore (US$ 62.5 billion) Tata Group, that has over 87 companies, over 330,000 employees and more than 2.8 million shareholders. With a committed investment of INR 36,000 Crore (USD $7.5 billion) in Telecom (FY 2006), the Group has a presence across the telecom value chain. Tata Teleservices spearheads the Groups presence in the telecom sector. Incorporated in 1996, Tata Teleservices was the first to launch CDMA mobile services in India with the Andhra Pradesh circle. The company acquired Hughes Telecom (India) Limited [now renamed Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited] in December 2002. With a total Investment of Rs 19,924 Crore, Tata Teleservices has created a Pan India presence spread across 20 circles that includes Andhra Pradesh, Chennai, Gujarat, J & K, Karnataka, Delhi, Maharashtra, Mumbai, North East, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh (E), Uttar Pradesh (W), Kerala, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. Having pioneered the CDMA 3G1x technology platform in India, Tata Teleservices has established 3G ready telecom infrastructure. It

partnered with Motorola, Ericsson, Lucent and ECI Telecom for the deployment of its telecom network. The company is the market leader in the fixed wireless telephony market with a total customer base of over 3.8 million.

AIRCEL :-

Aircel is now a proud part of Maxis, an international conglomerate and the leading cellular service provider in Malaysia with over 7 million subscribers and a firm commitment to providing seamless connectivity and superior technology to every customer. A recipient of multiple accolades, Maxis has been deemed as the brand of the year 2006 in Malaysia. Aircel is rapidly spreading across the state of Tamilnadu with connectivity in 1000 towns and 11,000 villages, serving over 40 lakh happy subscribers. Known for its superior tariff offering and cuttingedge technology, Aircel has recently been honoured as the No.1 operator across all metro circles for customer satisfaction by Voice and Data magazines survey in 2006. Currently, Aircel has a marked presence in the North and North East circles of the country including Rest of West Bengal, Orissa, Sikkim, Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar. With 13 new circles to be operational soon, Aircel will be a Pan-India operator very shortly. Putting customers first, Aircel offers exclusive Customer Service teams and corporate Account Managers that work round- the-clock to provide the finest service and the best mobile experience ever.

MILESTONES OF RCOM

TheDream,1999 "Make a phone call cheaper than a postcard and you will usher in a revolutionary transformation in the lives of millions of Indians" Dhirubhai Ambani

TheReality,November15 Reliance Infocomm begins Project Planning

May10 Optic fibre laying process commences in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh & Maharashtra May1 First Media Convergence Node made "Ready for Electronics" at Jaipur January15 First Base Transceiver Station (BTS) made "Ready for Electronics"

February25 Obtains International Long Distance License from Govt. of India December22

Commissions 1st Optic Fibre Backbone ring December24 Establishes 1st Point of Interconnect (POI) in New Delhi December27 Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Atal Behari Vajpayee e-inaugurates Reliance Infocomm Hon'ble Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Information Technology and Communications, Pramod Mahajan, inaugurates NNOC January15 Introduces Dhirubhai Ambani Pioneer Offer for Reliance IndiaMobile service February14 Launches Reliance WebWorld in top 16 cities

March31 Launches International Long Distance Services April3 Commissions all backbone rings

April25 Introduces cooler handsets

May1 Launches Reliance IndiaMobile Service commercially in top 92 cities with one million customers. June10 Launches India's first wireless Point of Sale (POS) June10 Launches India's first wireless Point of Sale (POS) Sets world record - acquires one million customers in 10 days July3 Launches R Connect Internet connection cable Aug26 Introduces Reliance IndiaPhone Fixed Wireless Phone and Terminal September20 "Navratri" a data service in R-World posts a world record of 10 million downloads on the first day of the launch September30 R World clocks a phenomenal 1 billion hits in 1 month September30 R World clocks a phenomenal 1 billion hits in 1 month

October24 Deploys pilot of Home Netway in Mumbai October30 Reliance becomes India's largest mobile service provider within 7 months of commercial launch November3 Customer base touches 5 million November12 Migrates to Unified License Regime

Novembe16 Launches National Roaming November21 Launches International SMS to 159 countries launched December19 Adds 4500th Contact Centre Executive Contact Centre becomes the largest such facility deployed by any single Indian Service Provider January12

International wholesale telecommunications service provider, FLAG Telecom amalgamates with Reliance Gateway, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Infocomm February9 Launches RIM Prepaid with attractive offer - For Rs 3500 get a Motorola C131 mobile phone and Rs 3240 worth of re- charge vouchers instantly and stay connected for 1 year February17 Reliance subsidiary Flag Telecom announces FALCON Project - a major new Middle East Loop Terabits Submarine Cable System with links to Egypt and Hong Kong via India March22 Reliance Infocomm launches multi-player gaming on RIM handsets - a first in India April05 Reliance IndiaMobile introduces International Roaming facility to 172 countries, 300 networks April23 Reliance Infocomm introduces first ever auction facility on Mobile phones through R World May27 Reliance Infocomm receives the Most Promising Service Provider of the

Year 2003 (Asia Pacific) award at the Asia Pacific Technology Awards instituted by Frost & Sullivan. June8 Reliance Infocomm introduces World Card - a Prepaid International calling card for affordable and convenient ISD calls from India. July29 Announces India's First MPLS Global VPN Solution in partnership with MCI August5 launches the first regional Customer Contact Centre in Chennai September6 Mukesh D. Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Infocomm, receives Voice & Data "Telecom Man of the Year" award

VALUE ADDED SERVICES

Voicemail retrieval will be charged at local call rates to RM i.e. 99 paise per minute. Reliance Net-connect has no rental, Just usage charge. More coverage. More clarity. More affordable. A 80,000 km seamless, pan-India fibre optic backbone ensures a congestion free network and almost zero call drops, in addition to superior voice clarity in every corner of the country. ROAMING

Our network travels with you Traveling is an integral part of life in todays world. When you are on the move, keep in touch with business associates, friends and your loved ones through Reliance Mobiles roaming service, which offers excellent coverage in and outside India. You can be sure to enjoy the best coverage, wherever you go.

National Roaming: Stop costly roaming. Start National roaming all over the country, at zero rentals with Reliance Mobile.

Reliance World Roaming: Now roam across 200 countries and 350 GSM and CDMA networks with your Reliance number. National Roaming

Now Go Roaming at Zero Rent Roam the length and breadth of India. Reliance National Roaming lets you make and receive calls with zero rent. Send and receive SMS and retrieve voicemails from anywhere outside your home circle, at nominal rates. What's more, you get the same 24-hour customer care with a single toll-free number, from anywhere in the country. You enjoy: Zero Roaming Rent Zero Roaming Deposit Roaming Tariff for Reliance Mobile Post Paid, Pre Paid Local Outgoing calls while Roaming All Phones Rs1.40 Rs.1.40 STD Outgoing calls while Roaming All Phones Rs.2.40 Incoming calls while Roaming Rs.1.75 SMS Local as per Tariff Plan Rs.1.00 National Rs.2.00 International Rs.5.00 Application Rs.3.00 Pulse rate for all calls in 60 seconds

 As per TRAI directive, the above call rates are applicable effective February 15, 2007 & the National Roaming rent will be zero for all customers.

Reliance National Roaming facilitates you roam across close to 7000 cities & towns in the following telecom circles: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar (including Jharkhand), Delhi NCR, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh (including Chhatisgarh), Maharashtra and Goa, Mumbai, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, West Bengal, Kolkata, UP-East and UPWest (including Uttaranchal).

Circle Service Area Andhra Pradesh Entire State. Bihar & Jharkhand. Delhi Local areas served by Delhi, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Noida & Gurgaon Telephone Exchanges. Gujarat (including Union Territory of Daman and Diu.Silvassa (Dadra and Nagar Haveli)). Haryana Entire State (Not including: Local areas served by Faridabad & Gurgaon Telephone Exchange). Himachal Pradesh Entire State. Karnataka Entire State. Kerala Entire State plus the Union Territory of Lakshwadeep and Minicoy. Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh

 Maharashtra including Goa (Not including: Local areas served by Mumbai, Navi Mumbai & Kalyan Telephone Exchanges). Mumbai Local areas served by Mumbai, Navi Mumbai & Kalyan Telephone Exchanges. Orissa Entire State. Punjab Entire State (including Union Territory of Chandigarh). Rajasthan Entire State. Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu including Union Territory of Pondicherry (Not including: Local areas served by Chennai Telephone District, Maraimalal. Minjur & Mahabalipuram Telephone Exchanges). Chennai Local area served by Chennai Telephone District, Maraimalal Nagar Export Promtion Zone (MEPZ), Minjur & Mahabalipuram Exchanges. West Bengal West Bengal including State of Sikkim and Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands(Not including: Kolkata Metro Service Area). Kolkata Metro Service Area. UP (East) Entire Area covered UP (E) including Boundary Districts towards UP (W): Shahjahanpur, Farrukabad, and Kanpur & Jalaun. UP (West) Entire Area covered by UP (W) including Uttaranchal and Boundary Districts towards UP(E): Pilibhit, Bareilly, Dadaun, Etah, Mainpuri& Etawah (Not including: Local areas served by Ghaziabad & Noida Telephone Exchanges).

All around the world With Reliance World Roaming, you can roam across more than 200 countries and 350 CDMA as well as GSM networks all across the world. Avail the advantage of lowest world roaming call rates while you roam on our CDMA and GSM partner networks!

You can now: Say connected with your loved ones on a single number the world over. Make and receive calls and SMSs and even access your voice mail while you roam. Receive a single consolidated bill for international and domestic usage in Indian Rupees. You can roam on our CDMA partner networks with your Reliance Mobile CDMA handset. For roaming on our GSM partner networks, just insert the World roaming SIM card provided by us in to a suitable GSM handset and enjoy roaming. So, whenever nostalgia sets in, remember, youre just a phone call away.

Facilities available while roaming:

Make and receive voice calls. Send and receive SMSs. Access your voice mail. Refer Annexure 1 for facilities available while roaming.

How can you subscribe: To subscribe for World roaming, please visit the nearest Web world / Web world Express and submit the subscription form duly filled in along with the security deposit.

Subscription Charges: Security Deposit (Rs.) 4000/- * Monthly Rental (Rs.) 150/* The deposit mentioned above is a standard deposit. However additional deposit may be applicable based on the discretion of RIC Credit Services.

Activation of World Roaming: To use World Roaming facility you need to have ISD service activated on your phone.

Activation of World Roaming on CDMA handset: Step 1: Register for the service at any WebWorld or WebWorld Express by filling a World Roaming subscription form. You will receive an SMS confirming your registration to the service. Step 2: Send a SMS with text PRL to 3733 from your Reliance Mobile. You will then receive a message prompting you to dial *228.

Step 3: Dial *228 and follow the instructions of the voice guide to download PRL on your phone. You will receive a second confirmation of successful activation of World Roaming on your phone. You will then be ready to roam on CDMA networks. Activation of World Roaming on GSM handset: If you are a World Roaming subscriber, you will be provided with an activated Reliance World Roaming SIM card for roaming on GSM networks. All you need to do is to insert the World Roaming SIM provided with this kit in a suitable GSM handset and you will be ready to roam on GSM networks. Please refer Annexure 2A and 2B for the list of countries having CDMA and GSM partner networks.

Using services in foreign networks: In case the visited country has both CDMA and GSM partner networks, you may use either your CDMA handset or a GSM handset with Reliance World Roaming SIM in it. Please do not try to use both the phones simultaneously as at any given time, only one of them will work.

Using CDMA phones while roaming : Just switch off and switch on your CDMA handset and enjoy roaming on CDMA partner networks. Dialling Plan while roaming on CDMA networks Dialing within the Visited Country

 To Landline number>

<National access Code> <area code> < Telephone

To Mobile <National access Code> <mobile number> Dialing outside the Visited country To Landline <International Access Code> <country code> <area code> <telephone number> To Mobile <International Access Code> <country code> <Mobile number> For example, if you are calling from USA To call a fixed line number in Mumbai please dial 011 91 22 (your home phone number) To call mobile in Mumbai dial: 011 91 93xxxxxxxx International Access Codes may vary from country to country. Refer to Annexure 1 for International access codes. Using GSM phones while roaming Switch off and then switch on the GSM handset to roam on GSM partner networks. In case you are unable to make calls, follow the steps given below: Power on the handset. Handset will log onto the GSM network. In case handset does not register: Go to the International Roaming Menu and choose Roam1. The phone will prompt SIM Card update Starts. Press OK. Handset will register on the available network. This process will take few minutes.

 In case handset does not register: Go to the International Roaming Menu and choose Roam2. The phone will prompt SIM Card update Starts. Press OK. The handset will register on the available network. This process may take a few minutes. Dialing plan while roaming on GSM networks Dialing within the visited country To Landline + <Area code> < Telephone number> To Mobile + < Mobile number> Dialing outside the visited country To Landline +<Country code> <area code> <telephone number> To Mobile + <Country code> <Mobile number> For example, while calling from any foreign country, To call your fixed line number in Mumbai please dial + 91 22 <your home phone number> To call mobile in Mumbai dial: +91 93xxxxxxxx Handset suitability in CDMA and GSM partner networks You can use your Reliance Mobile for roaming on CDMA roaming partner networks. A few handsets may require a binary upgrade. In case your handset is one of them, please visit the nearest service center and get your handset upgraded with the latest

binary version. It is important to note that PRL must be downloaded on your Reliance India mobile only after your handset is upgraded with the latest binary version. For roaming on GSM partner networks, you need to insert the Reliance World Roaming SIM in a suitable GSM handset. For accessing 900/1800 MHz networks, you need to use a dual band GSM handset. For accessing 1900 MHz networks, you need to use a Tri-band handset. For accessing 850 MHz networks, you need to use a Quad band handset. For accessing satellite networks you need to use Satellite mobile e.g. Ericsson R190 handset.

To reach us while you roam In case you need to contact us while you are abroad, you can call our 24 hour customer care on 91 22 30333535. This call will attract international long distance call charges. You can also email us at Customercare.IR@relianceada.com with your queries. In case your handset or World Roaming SIM is lost while roaming, please inform us immediately. Before you leave India Ensure that World Roaming is activated on your phone. Download the latest PRL in the handset every time before you leave. Deactivate call forwards on your handset.

 Ensure that your frequently-used numbers are stored in your phone book in the international dialing pattern. Carry Reliance World Roaming SIM and a GSM handset for using roaming on GSM partner networks. Ensure that your handset is suitable for roaming on the partner networks in visiting country. Carry phone charger, travel adapter and your welcome kit with you.

Deactivation of World Roaming Service

If you wish to use World Roaming in the future, we recommend a temporary disconnection. You will not be charged any monthly rental from the date of disconnection. The service can be temporarily deactivated by calling Customer Care at *333. You can later reactivate the service by calling Customer Care again. For permanent disconnection, please visit any of our WebWorld or WebWorld Express and return the Reliance World Roaming SIM. The security deposit collected against World roaming service will be credited back to your account on permanent disconnection of the service.

Note: 1. While roaming, you will not be able to Use Star code features like *333, *4120 etc, Use Data Reliance Netconnect and Reliance Mobile World 2. On returning to India, just switch off and switch on your CDMA handset and use it like before.

3. Reliance World Roaming SIM does not work in India.

HANDSETS
Sleek, stylish and oh so convenient The Reliance Mobile service is available on a wide range of handsets that are compatible with our network. An exchange offer you cant refuse Walk into any mobile shop in your city with an old GSM handset and get the trendy Classic 231 color phone or the Classic 202 B/W phone for an unbelievably low exchange price. And thats not all, you also get Free talk time* Free incoming up to 1 year* Best tariffs on Reliance Mobile All this put together surely makes this An offer that you cant refuse. Rush to your retailer now to know more about the offer!! **Conditions apply. Free talk time & incoming depend on the GSK Purchased.

Black and White Handsets Current handset models

Old handset models

Color Handset Current handset models

Old handset models

Color Handset with camera Current handset models

Video Camera Phone Current handset models

PDA colour phone Current handset models

old handset models

Camera Watch Phone old handset models

TARIFF PLANS OF RELIANCE

Base Plan Tariff All Local Calls All STD Calls Roaming All Incoming & Local Outgoing calls All STD Outgoing calls Rs.0.99 Rs.1.50 Rs.1.00 Rs.1.50

Recharge Vouchers - Base Plans MRP Rs.151 Rs.175 Rs.205 Rs.350 Talktime Rs.59.39 Rs.79.83 Rs.107.45 Rs.161.67 Recharge Vouchers - Unlimited On-Net Plan MRP Talktime Validity (Days) Tariff Reliance Mobile Local Reliance Fixed Other Mobiles Other Fixed STD All Calls Jaadu Pack MRP Benefit available for (days) Reliance Mobile Local Reliance Fixed Other Mobile Other Fixed Rs. 0.50 Rs. Rs. 0.99 0.49 Rs. Rs. 0.49 0.49 Rs. Rs.249 Rs. 195 Rs. 99 Rs. 49 999 30 Free 30 30 30 30 1000 Free minutes free Rs. 0.33 Rs. 0.33 Rs. 79 Rs. 35 30 30 Rs. 39 30 Free Rs.0.49 Rs.0.49 Rs.0.49 Rs.1.50 Rs.399 Rs.175.00 30 Rs.499 Rs.50.00 45 Validity (Days) 30 14 30 30

Rs.0.50 Rs.0.50 Rs.1.00 (2nd min onwards)*

STD

Reliance Free Mobile Reliance Fixed

Rs.0.50 Rs.1.50 Rs. 1.50 Rs.0.99 Rs. 1.50 Rs.1.00 Rs.1.00 (2nd min onwards)* Other Mobile Rs.1.00

Other Fixed All Incoming & Local Rs.1.00 Outgoing Roaming calls All STD Rs. Rs. Outgoing Rs. 1.50 Rs.1.00 Rs. 1.50 Rs.1.00 Rs. 1.50 Rs. 1.50 1.50 1.50 calls SMS JAADU to 53739 to avail the benefit. (ex. SMS JAADU 49 and send it to 53739) * 1st min will be charged at Rs.1.00 for All Local calls & Rs.1.50 for All STD calls.

International Call Rates : Countries/Region New Tariff One Nation All other Plans Plans Rs.6.00 Rs.6.40 per min. per min. Rs.8.00 per Rs. 9.19 min. per min. Rs. 40.00 per min.

USA, Canada, Fixed lines in Europe, Australia, New Zealand Mobile phones in Europe, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Gulf, Middle East, UAE, Africa, Rest of World Cook Island, Cuba, Diego Garcia, Guinea Bissau, Nauru, Rs.40.00 Norfolk Island, Sao Tome, Sakhalin, Solomon Island, per min. Tokelau, Tuvalu, Vanuatu Satellite calls to Inmarsat region (00870) - call rate at Rs.5.83/second

National Roaming : All Incoming & Local Outgoing calls All STD Outgoing calls Local Application SMS National international

Rs.1.00 Rs.1.50 Rs.1.00 Rs.3.00 Rs.2.00 Rs.5.00

RESEARCH TIMELINE
2009 May 25 - Research proposal. 2009 May 30 - Pilot survey. 2008 June 5 - Questionnaire design. 2008 June 10 - Survey of retailers and distributors.

2007 July 1 - Report writing. 2007 July 10 - Submission of report. AREA: RANCHI TOWNSHIP This is the initial report dealing with different players available in the Ranchi market. This report will help to understand the buying behavior of customers and there preferences regarding different brand. We scoured shops, visited the web sites of different telcom companies, spoke to various users to source information on the brands officially available in Ranchi .

LIMITATIONS
There is a major time constraint in doing the research work and preparing the report, a much larger pool of information could have been dealt with if there was more time to analyze them. A minimal sample size (240) is used for this research; if a larger sample was taken into consideration the research would have been more accurate. The survey was conducted in the city of Ranchi which could be a possible reason for the peoples mind set to be similar and survey results not being very different from each other, the results could be different if people from outside the city were brought under consideration.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Comparative study of effectiveness of distribution channel of telecom companies and retailers perception. In our research work, we have tried to understand the distribution channel of Reliance and other telecom service providers operating in Jharkhand telecom circle and the general perception of the retailers in the area. We have also tried to analyze the aspirations of the retailers and their needs toward the telecom service providers. We have also analyzed the role of distributors in the distribution channel.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Knowing the distribution channel. Understanding the retailers perception about distribution channel. To find out awareness level about the latest facilities and the services.

To find out the retailers position for Reliance Infocomm and other cellular service.

Whether channels of distribution where adequate.

To study the brand loyalty of the Retailers and Customers.

 To study the group in which mobile service is high in demand.

To study the market share of Reliance Infocomm and other cellular service provider in Ranchi.

To find the perception of the customers as well as the retailers.

To try and collect suggestions fromthe Retailers and Customers.

Drawbacks of Reliance Infocomm marketing.

To find out the different characteristics to attract the customers.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In order to address the above objectives an exploratory study was conducted. The idea was to probe and get deeper insight into distribution channel in pre-paid telecom market and to tap perceptions of retailers. In order to address above mentioned objectives, (i) Study of secondary sources was carried out. (ii) Structured questionnaire was designed to seek retailers responses. Convenience sampling was used for retailers studies. 240 retailers ranging from small kirana store to exclusive mobile shops were approached. All the retailers were located in the city of Ranchi. 3.1 Research design: A research design is the specification of methods and procedures for acquiring the information needed. It is the over-all operational pattern or framework of the project that stipulates what information is to be collected from which sources by what procedures. Exploratory study design has been conducted to find out the effectiveness of distribution channel. 3.2 Sampling method: We have employed random sampling method for the collection of data. A random sample gives every unit of the population a known and non-zero probability of being selected. Since random sampling employees equal probability to every unit in the population it is necessary that the selection of the sample must be free from human judgments. We have taken a sample size of 240 retailers spread across the city of Ranchi.

SURVEY INSTRUMENT A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The questionnaire consists of different parts to gather information on the different variables under considerations. The questionnaire is the best instrument for the survey in this case because, for a correlation study the sample sizes have to be very large as it is quantitative in nature, so surveying so many people with personal interviews or observations would be next to

impossible. With questionnaires, no responses of the respondents can be missed out. It gives more time to the respondents to think and then give the answers. And it is a quicker and cheaper way to conduct the survey. Questionnaires can be conducted in any environment, with minimum influence of the outside environment. Questionnaires also have the advantage of keeping the personal details of the respondents confidential. A sample of the questionnaire has been attached in the appendix 1. 3.4 Data collection: The data collection was done through both primary and secondary sources. The primary data was collected through questionnaire surveys and the secondary data was collected from the available archives of the different telecom companies, for addressing the research questions.

OBSERVATION AND FINDINGS

As the distribution channel is the most critical issue in determining the overall presence of a particular brand in market. In the case of mobile service providers this occupies an utmost importance as it makes the product more readily available, thereby effecting the sales. After compiling and analyzing the responses of 240 retailers, we arrived at the following findings: -

4.1 Types of retailers: As the availability is the key factor in the sales. This has certainly increased the dimension of type of retailers. There are different types of retailers offering services of different companies ranging from Pan Shop to the kirana and gift shop. Types of Retailers Pay phone Exclusive Mobile Shops Magazines & Stationery Gifts Others Numbers 120 32 20 20 48 Percentage 50 14 8 8 20

4.2 Brand awareness:

This question is designed to analyze the Top Of Mind Awareness. Our study reveal that awareness and sales are closely associated with each other. Telecom company Airtel RIM Smart BSNL Tata Indicom Aircel Weighted frequency 1120 1044 880 656 424 208

In response to this question we ranked the different companies from 1 to 6. We assigned differents weight to different ranks, weight 6 was assigned to rank 1, 5 was assigned to rank 2 and so on. 4.3 Starting of retailing

The response to this question determines the efficiency of the distribution channel of a particular service provider. The responses actually reflects how agile your distributor as well as retailers are. But the efficiency of the distribution channel demands that it should move from top to bottom i.e. from distributor to retailer. Telecom companies Airtel RIM BSNL Smart Tata Indicom Aircel Retailer Distributor Other sources approached the approached the distributor retailer 64 80 128 84 40 0 136 116 40 116 140 106 8 12 16 4 0 0

This question was designed to gauge the efficiency of distribution channel. After taking feedback from the distributors we come at conclusion that both approaches ( distributor approached the retailer and retailer approached the distributor) are important but the more genuine approach is that the distributor should approach the retailer.

Initially distributor will approach the right kind of retailers but once the brand is established, new retailers will emerge who approach the distributors. The first approach reflects the efficiency of distribution channel and second approach reflects the demand of the product. 4.4 Frequency of visit of companies representatives: The response of this question reflects the relationship between company and its retailers. Visit of the companies representatives motivate the retailers to sell the product more. It is also one of the way to know the problems of retailers. It helps company to know the requirement of retailers and facilitate to prepare right kind promotional activities.

In the case of Airtel we see that approximately 32% (76) of the retailers responded that there was No visit of company representative, 33% (80) of the retailers said that the visit was Once in a month,23% (56) of the retailers said that the visit was Once in 3 months. and 12% (28) of the retailers were of the view that the visit was Once in 6 months.

In the case of RIM, the majority of the retailers i.e. approximately 57% (136) responded that there was No visit of companys representative. 20% (48) of the retailers told that the visit was Once in a month. 15% (36) of retailers were of the view that visit was Once in 3 months and remaining 8% (20) said that the visit was once in 6 months.

In the case of smart, 63% (152) approx. responded that there was No visit of companys representative. 20% (48) of the retailers told that the visit was Oncein a month. 10% (24) of the retailers were of the view that visit was Once in 3 months and remaining 7% (16) of the retailers said that the visit was Once in 6 months.

In case of BSNL there is no visit of any company representative to any retailers.

In the case of Aircel, approximately 85% (119) of the retailers were of the view that there was No visit of the companys representative. 13% (18) of the retailers responded that the visit was Once in a month and 2% (3) of the retailers said that the visit was Once in 3 months.

In the case of Tata Indicom there has been No visit in 68% (108) of shops. Visit has been Once in a month in 17% (28) of the shops while it is 7.5% (12) in the case of Once in 3 months and Once in 6 months. This rate of visiting frequency has no significant impact on sales otherwise the BSNL should not have been in the top hierarchy of sales. Despite no visit of BSNL officials it has a significant sale in the market. As far as overall visit is concerned, airtel tops the list with 164 visits (80-once in a month,56-once in 3months,28-once in 6 months),followed by RIM with104 visits(48-36-20), followed by smart with 88 visits(48-24-16).Tata-indicom occupies the fourth position with52 visits(28-12-12) and aircel with 21 visits(18-3-0) standing at the

fifth position. In the case of BSNL , there has been no visit of company official. But these visits definitely have a psychological impact on the retailers and helps companies to understand this various issues related to retailers. and the company which prompts them to sell the products of the company more. 4.5 Effect of visit of companies representatives on sales: In response to above question retailers, responded that the visit of companies representatives definitely motivates to sale more given to the condition of frequency and timing of visit.

90% (216) of the retailers responded in a positive note while 10% (24) were of the opinion that visit has no effect on sales. These 10% mainly constituted of

representative. 4.6 Salesman visit to retailer FOS (Feet on street) forms the integral part in the whole distribution channel. More precisely its the face of the company showing the retailers. We try to corelate sales with the visit of the salesman. In this process we have studied the various positions (first, second and third) as far as the visit of the salesman is concerned with respect to different telecom companies. In the following graph we have taken the number of shops where the salesman of different telecom companies are number one visitor.

Airtel is the number one visitor at 55.41% (133) of shops followed by RIM at 20% (48) of shops. Smart closely follows RIM at 17.08% (41). Tata Indicom tops the visiting chart at 5% (12) of shops. BSNL and Aircel occupies the fifth and sixth position in the overall no of shops most visited. The more visit of FOS generally implies more sales.In order to analyse this we studied the airtel at different positions(1,2) in different shops and the corresponding impact on sales.

In order to understand the effect of salesman visit we analyze the number of shops where Airtel is number one visitor. In 64% (85) of the cases where the Airtel is number one visitor is also the number one seller. Despite being number one visitor, it occupies second and third position in sales in 30% (40) and 6% (8) respectively

We see from the graph that 59% (28) of the cases where RIM is number one visitor is also the number one seller. Despite being number one visitor, it 28 occupies second and third position in sales in 25% (12) and 8% (4) cases respectively.

I In 39% (16) of the cases where Smart is number one visitor is also the number one seller. Despite being number one visitor, it occupies second and third position in sales in 34% (14) and 27% (11) cases respectively.

From the responses given by the retailers with respect to the visit of companies salesman, we concluded that Airtel, Rim, Smart are most frequent visitors. In almost all of the cases number first, second and third position are shared among them only. Therefore in our further analysis of sales with respect to visit we have taken only the cases of Airtel, RIM and Smart

Despite being number two visitor Airtel occupies first position in sales in 21% of shops, second position in 50% of the shops and third position in 29% of the shops.

Despite being number two visitor RIM occupies first position in sales in 47% of shops, second position in 33% of the shops and third position in 20% of the shops.

Despite being number two visitor Smart occupies first position in sales in 12% of shops, second position in 25% of the shops and third position in 50% of the shops. Visit of salesman has direct implication on sales. It not only ensures availability of products to the retailers but also create psychological pressure on retailers to sale more which is quite evident from the above graphs. When we compared the salesman visit with impact on sales, we found that in those shops(133) where Airtel is number one visitor its sales is also number one i.e. number one visit is translated into number one sales in 64% cases. In those shops where Airtel is number two visitor(84) it is number two seller in 50% of cases and number one seller in 21% of cases and in 29% cases it is number three seller. Thus for the Airtel,visiting frequency of salesman has significant impact on sales.As the visiting position of the Airtel decsends to number two position,the conversion rate to number one position in sales declines from 64% to 21%.Also the visiting position bears a directly proportional relationship with the position in sales. So far RIM is concerned it is able to convert sales in 59% of the cases in number one position when the visit(48 shops) is most. The good thing with RIM is that when it is number two visitor(90 shops) it is number one seller in 47% of shops and number two seller in 33% of shops. RIM has a pretty interesting outcome as far as the relationship of visiting frequency with sales is concerned. Despite being at number two position in terms of visit in 90 shops it continuous to be number one seller in 47% of shops which is most.Thus in the case of RIM the visiting position does not bear a directly proportional relationship with the position in sales.From the feedback given by the retailers we can draw the inference that RIM has relatively established market in comparison to smart and Airtel. Also, it is in the market from longer time in comparison to Airtel. Smart shows a similar pattern as Airtel. The shops (41) where smart is number one visitor, 39% of them is converted into number one position in sales. As the visiting position descends to number two (48 shops) position, this conversion to number one position in sales declines to 12%. Thus, we see that the visiting 32 frequency of salesman and conversion to sales is directly proportional to each others.

4.7 Attributes associated with services and promotion: This basically highlights various types of services which can enhance the overall sales. Through Nature of schemes we have also taken into account a part of sales promotion activity. We have assigned weight to the ranks i.e rank 1 is given a weightage of 3 points, rank 2 is given a weightage of 2 points and rank 3 is given a weightage of 1 point.

From the above graph we see that Timely delivery is given more weightage than the other two attributes i.e. it is more important for a retailer that he gets the products on time than anything else. Nature of schemes (for retailers) is also important as it acts as a catalyst to sell the product of a particular company more. By Nature of salesman includes their frequency of visit, personal characteristic etc. 4.8 Ranking of attributes associated with different telecom companies: We have ranked the different attributes associated with different telecom companies from 1 to 6. We have assigned a weightage of 6 points to rank 1, weightage of 5 points to rank 2 and so on. Nature of salesman

So far as the nature of salesman is concerned, Airtel is performing well followed by RIM. As we have already discussed that Nature of salesman includes their frequency of visit, personal characteristics etc., it also has an effect on overall sales which is reflected in the case of Airtel and RIM. Smart is third best in this category followed by Tata Indicom and Aircel.We have given 0 value where there is no visit of the salesman.

Nature of scheme

According to retailers RIM is offering best of the schemes. After that Airtel comes with the second best offering followed by smart. Tata Indicom has also nice offerings. Aircel being a relatively new player in the market it is also luring the retailers with various schemes. Timely delivery

Airtel leads the chart of Timely delivery closely followed by RIM. Though Tata Indicom has active delivery network but as the number of retailers are significantly smaller, therefore its occupies third position in the graph. 4.9 Retailers priorities associated with sales: We try to analyse the priorities of retailers associated before selling connections. We have taken five attributes and ranked them from 1to 5.We have assigned a weightage of 5 points to the rank1, 4 points to the rank2 and so on.

Customer satisfaction has been given the the top priority by the retailers. Service and margin are almost equally important and volume i.e. amount of selling is fourth important attributes for the retailers. 4.10 Offers for retailers: Almost all companies provide offers for retailers but Airtel, RIM and Smart offers are most lucrative for retailers because of large amount of selling. So far reimbursement of offers are concerned it has following outcomes.

We have taken opinion of retailers regarding reimbursement of offers in which 39% of retailers are of the view that they get the reimbursement of offers appropriately, 33% do not get the reimbursement at all and 28% percent said that they get their reimbursement partially. Time frame of reimbursement varies according to the company. We have tried to gauge the time frame of the reimbursement and it has very intresting findings about different companies.

Time frame of reimbursement:

In Airtel retailers get their offers within one month in 72 cases which is highest among different companies. This is only 40 and 12 in the case of RIM and Smart respectively. Airtel reimburse the offerings in 1-3 months in 4 cases while RIM do the same in 12 cases.Smart has no case of reimbursement in 1-3 months. As far as reimbursement of offerrings in more than 3 months is concerned,Airtel has 16, RIM has 14 and smart has 4 cases. 4.11 Response to SMS sent by different companies: Companies use SMS as a tool to communicate with the retailers. Through SMS, the retailers get to know about the various schemes offered to them as well as to the customers. Airtel sends the most number of SMS. Almost all retailers respond quickly to the SMS sent by the companies.

Although the company uses SMS as a tool to communicate with the retailers,but it not very effective means to give information about the schemes. They are unable to understand the complete meaning of messages related to the schemes.

4.12 Correlation Analysis:

Here we investigste the degree of correlation between the queries and activation. Querries 1120 1044 880 656 424 208 Activation 893 806 453 112 51 38

We find that there is high degree of positive correlation between querries and activation. The co-efficient of correlation is r= 0.8604

4.13 Test of hypothesis: To examine the relationship between salesman visit and sales. NH: There is no significant relationship between salesman visit and sales. Null hypothesis is rejected as calculated value of chi-square is less than the table value at 5% level of significance.Therefore the visit of salesman has significant impact on sales.

COMPARATION WITH COMPETITORS :Our range of HANDSETS LGRD 2340 RCV 80 Our range of RCVs (RIM) SMART TOP-UP Rs. 10 TOP-UP Rs. 49 BSNL TOP-UP Rs. 56 AIRTEL TOP-UP Rs. 10 TATA-IND TOP-UP Rs. 50 Competitors range of RCVs

LGRD 2430 NOKIA 2112 LGRD 2530 LDRD 2630 NOKIA 1255 LGRD 2650 CLASSIC 202 CLASSIC 203 CLASSIC 204 NOKIA 3155 NOKIA 2255 LGRD 6000 LGRD 6500 NOKIA 6225 NOKIA 6585

RCV105 RCV 151 RCV 205 RCV 35O RCV 565 RCV 777 RCV 995 RCV 1125 RCV 3300 ON-NET 215 ON-NET 430 ON-NET 495

TOP-UP Rs. 50 TOP-UP Rs. 75 TOP-UP Rs. 80 TOP-UP Rs. 91 TOP-UP Rs. 152 TOP-UP Rs. 201 TOP-UP Rs. 501 NCC 115 NCC 225 NCC 280 ICC 115 ICC 575

TOP-UP Rs. 96 TOP-UP Rs. 200 TOP-UP Rs. 300 TOP-UP Rs. 500 RCV 200 RCV 300 RCV 500 RCV 750 RCV 1000 RCV 3000 RCV 3600 LIFETIME

TOP-UP Rs. 112 TOP-UP Rs. 224 TOP-UP Rs. 448 RCV 70 RCV 150 RCV 220 RCV 337 RCV 551 RCV 1100

TOP-UP Rs. 20 TOP-UP Rs. 50 TOP-UP Rs. 100 RCV 60 RCV 120 RCV 200 RCV 330 RCV 399 RCV 560

TOP-UP Rs. 90 TOP-UP Rs. 160 TOP-UP Rs. 220 RCV 50 RCV 112 RCV 336 RCV 182 RCV 356 RCV 561 RCV 407 RCV 101 RCV 177

RCV 2200 RCV 999 RCV 3300 RCV 1110 RCV 5000 RCV 2200 LIFETIME

ONE-INDIA ICC 1130 75 ONE-INDIA LIFETIME 275 79 ONE-INDIA LIFETIME 555 499

RCV 3300 RCV 1271 LIFETIME LIFETIME

KYOCERA KZ- ONE-INDIA LIFETIME 2 900 975

LG 5340 STARCOM SPECTRA MOTO RZR

0NE-INDIA LIFETIME 1100 995 STV 49 STV 139

MARKETING CHANNELS OF RELIANCE :A VALUE NETWORK

A value network is a system of partnership and alliance that a firm creates to source, argument, and deliver its offerings. Making channels are sets of interdependent organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption. Marketing channel decisions are among the most critical decisions facing management so that to maximize the scale of the product and increase the profit. The companys pricing depend on whether it uses mass-merchandisers or high quality boutiques.

CHANNEL FUNCTIONS AND FLOWS

A marketing channel performs the work of moving the goods from producers to consumers. It overcomes the time, place, and possession gap thats separate goods and services from those who needs or wants them. Members of marketing channel perform a number of key functions:

 They gather information about potential and current customers, competitors and other actors and forces in the marketing environment. They develop a disseminate persuasive communications to stimulate purchasing. They reach agreement on price and other terms so that transfer of ownership and possession can be affected. They place order with the manufacturers. They acquire the funds to finance inventories at different levels in the marketing channel. They assume risk connected with carrying out channel works. They provide space for the successive storage and movement of physical product. They provide for buyers payments of their bills through banks and other financial institutions. They oversee actual transfer of ownership from one organization or person to another.

CHANNEL-DESIGN DECISIONS

Analyze customers desired service output levels:

In designing the marketing channel, the marketer must understand the service output level desired by target customers. A channel produces five service output: 1. Lot size: The number of units the channel permits a typical customer to purchase on one occasion. 2. Waiting time: The average customers of that channel wait for receipts of the goods. A customer normally prefers a fast delivery channel.

3. Special convenience: The degree to which the marketing channel makes it easy for customer to purchase the products. 4. Product variety: The assortment breadth provided by the marketing channel. Normally, customers prefer a greater assortment because more choices increase the chance of finding what they need.

SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Companies need to systematise information flow regarding sales promotion activities particularly at distributor retailer level. It should Ensure proper information flow and devising checks and measures to reduce misappropriations. As retailing is fragmented, direct reach by companies is next to impossible. Through distributors and proper feedback mechanism, companies keep in touch with the market. From the study it was found that smaller retailers felt neglected and not enthused to implement the schemes. Retailers are rich source of information about the consumer and the likely response to sales promotion activities. Developing a system to tap such responses from retailers would be helpful for planning future sales promotion activities. In order to build trust and commitment companies should tap preferences and perceptions of retailers. Airtel is definitely the most awared brand, but the actual sales conversion can be increased. A platform should be created so that it can have a direct relationship with the retailers. The number of exclusive retail outlets of a particular company should be increased where querries of customer can be addressed. Further it can also help in the diversification of business if company have any such future plans. The visit by any representative of company has a positive effect on the retailers but the visit should be more frequent and their problems should be solved. The visit by the company representative should be free from any biasness and the company man should visit not only to the major retailers but also to the small retailers so that they do not feel neglected. Salesman forms an integral part of the distribution channel. Workshops should be organised to train the salesman so that they will be able to explain the companies schemes to the retailers in right perspective.

SUMMARY

This paper is directed towards exploring the relationship between retailers and company. Through sizeable literature review and discussions it is known that there is considerable correlation that exists among the study variables. The data sampling was conducted on the retailers of telecom products. A structured questionnaire was used to find out the views of retailers regarding executive visits, availability of products, psychological and behavioral aspects, offers for them etc. During our research we come at the conclusion that sizeable correlation exists among the different variables. The relation between retailer and company should be nurtured in appropriate manner so that maximum benefit can be gained through the relationship. Retailers dependency on distributor should be reduced. This can be done by having direct communication with retailers. However this is quite difficult to communicate with all the retailers but it would help to enhance the brand loyallty among retailers. Therefore communication with retailers will also help to know the ground realities. Functioning and structure of distribution channel of all companies except BSNL is almost same. Airtel distribution system is far more effective and it has certainly revolutionised this system with some creative and innovative approach. For instance it has hired the polio health workers to distribute its easy recharge in far flung places where flood occurrence is common phenomenon. In addition it has also made a sincre effort to increase the number of retail outlets. Smart has also followed suit in increasing the number of retailers. Visit of companies executive and salesman are crucial for the effectiveness and efficiency of distribution channel.

 Increased visit of companies executive will definitely increase the sale of product but selling can be improved significantly by adressing the agony and problem of retailers. Exclusive retail outlet of company should be opened at prominent place of city which will help to operate company business at local level and also facilitate in diversification of business.