Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PROJECT REPORT
ON
Ways to Increase the Average Revenue
SUBMITTED TO SUBMITTED BY
Ms. S. Awasthi Anshul Tyagi
H.O.D of Management Dept. B.B.A. (Vth Sem)
1
DECLARATION
BBA –V Sem
2
CERTIFICATE
3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The present work is dedicated to the persons who not only taught me, but continue inspire
me in knowing the clandestine facts of workmanship. I bow in honor before these great
teachers. The accomplishment of the present study became possible by the invaluable
assistance and guidance of my professional guides to whom I may gratefully indebted.
Firstly I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my faculty guide Ms. S. Awasthi
(H.O.D of Management Dept.) without whose invaluable guidance, moral support and
encouragement my work would have ever assumed the present shape, research. I were
indebted to my parents and friends for their moral support and possible efforts they
made for me.
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER-1
ORGANISATION AT A GLANCE
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
DESCRIPTION OF CURRENT SITUATION
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
CHAPTER -2
RESEARCH METHODOLOY
SAMPLE DESIGN
TOOLS USED FOR DATA COLLECTION
TOOLS USED FOR DATA ANALYSIS
CHAPTER-3
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
CHAPTER-4
FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS
CHAPTER-5
IMPLICATIONS
5
CHAPTER-6
SUGGESTIONS
CHAPTER-7
SUMMARY
CHAPTER-8
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
GLOSSARY
ANNEXURE
6
ORGANISATION AT A GLANCE
Idea Cellular Limited is amongst the leading mobile operators and currently operates in
11 Circles which comprise one metropolitan Circle, three category A Circles, six category
B Circles and one category C Circle. In addition, it holds licenses for the Metropolitan
Circle of Mumbai and the category C Circle of Bihar. It’s ranked amongst the top three
operators in six of the Established Circles. It is currently one of the fastest growing
mobile operators and has consistently grown in the Established Circles and New Circles
with a market share of Net Adds of approximately 16.7% in the period between April and
December 2006.
It is now part of the Aditya Birla Group, which is sole promoter and is currently amongst
the largest business groups in India in terms of market capitalization. Since November
2005, companies belonging to the Aditya Birla Group have been major shareholders and
it has benefited from the Aditya Birla Group’s strong and committed support. Since that
time it has invested over Rs. 25 billion in expanding and rolling-out network in the
Established Circles and the New Circles. Following this investment, in the last nine
months its subscriber numbers have grown significantly, increasing by approximately
68.9% to approximately 12.44 million subscribers as at December 31, 2006 from
approximately 7.37 million as at March 31, 2006, and cell-sites have increased to 8,600
as at December 31, 2006 from 4,763 as at March 31, 2006. As at December 31, 2006 its
network covered 1,627 Census Towns and 1,980 other population centers. For the
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financial years 2005 and 2006, gross revenues were approximately Rs. 22.68 billion and
Rs. 29.73 billion, respectively, and EBITDA was approximately Rs. 8.29 billion and Rs.
10.86 billion, respectively. Its growth to date has been the product of a combination of
organic growth and acquisitions.
It is expanding its coverage in the Established Circles and the New Circles, and also is
pursuing new licenses to create a pan-India footprint. It has recently received License for
the Mumbai Circle and, through Aditya Birla Telecom Limited, License for the Bihar
Circle. The Mumbai Circle is attractive because Mumbai is the commercial capital of
India and also because of the community of telephony interests including the benefit of
traffic flows with other Circles, particularly Maharashtra, Delhi and Gujarat Circles. It
has also recently obtained an NLD license which will reduce operating costs.
In addition, it has nine License Applications pending for further Circles which, if
obtained, will give complete access to the Indian market. The table below explains the
market share of Idea in respective circles:
8
Idea closes in on US$ 1 billion sales mark
Idea Cellular is set to become a billion-dollar company. On the back of expanded
operations and increased subscriber base, the 11-circle operator is expected to earn over
Rs 4,300 crore in revenues during FY07. This will be a growth of almost 45% over the
previous fiscal’s revenues of Rs 2,965 crore.
9
Products and Services
It offers pre-paid and post-paid mobile services in the Established Circles and the New
Circles under the brand names of “Idea Chit Chat” and “Idea”, respectively. It seeks to
identify new business opportunities and be the first mover amongst its competitors for
value added services (“VAS”). It was the first mobile operator to offer an extended
validity post-paid product, which now forms a sizeable percentage of its post-paid base.
In addition to its core mobile voice services, it offer its subscribers features such as:
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Awards and Recognitions
Growth Opportunities
1. Indian telecom market crossed 200 million telephone subscribers.
2. In the last two years 75 million new subscribers added.
3. About 5 million subscribers being added every month since Dec. 2005
4. Highest growth rate in the world, for the first time surpassing China
5. This growth has facilitated the expansion of BPO industry which employs 5 lakh
people - 400 employees added per day
6. 45 MHz of additional spectrum from defence to be made available for growth of
mobile services in the beginning of the year 2007
7. GSM spectrum between 15 MHz and 37 MHZ allotted in different service areas
8. CDMA spectrum between 2.5 MHz and 15 MHz allotted in different service areas
9. Nokia, LG, Ericsson have set up their manufacturing facilities in India
10. Motorola, Foxconn, Aspocomn etc., have also decided to set up their
manufacturing base with an investment of about US$ 650 million
11. FDI of US$ 2 billion in telecom manufacturing by 2007
12. A center of excellence in telecom technology in Public Private Partnership (PPP)
mode by 2007
13. Handset for Rs. 1,500 launched, expected to go further down to Rs. 1,000.
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Growth Strategies
It believes that it’s well positioned to grow in the rapidly expanding Indian
telecommunications industry. It believes its growth strategies have and will continue to
enable it to:
As at December 31, 2006, the footprint of its Established Circles alone covered
approximately 46.6% of India’s subscriber base. It enjoys a strong market position,
distribution strengths, brand recognition and the use of the 900 MHz band in seven of the
eight Established Circles. This platform, now leveraged through increased investment in
its network and its brand, has delivered growth in market share upon which it believe it
can build to strengthen its position in its Established Circles. For its New Circles and the
Bihar Circle, and for the licenses for which it have applied in category B and C Circles,
mobile penetration as at December 31, 2006 is 7.7%, which is lower than the 14.5% in
the Established Circles. This should mean that the entry barriers are less formidable and
the market opportunities greater. Additionally, its strong position in its established Circles
should provide it with advantages in contiguous Circles. For example, when it launched
in the Uttar Pradesh (East) Circle it benefited from its strong market position in the
neighboring Circles of Uttar Pradesh (west) and Madhya Pradesh. It therefore believes
that its leading position in the Maharashtra Circle will work to its advantage in the
intensely competitive Mumbai Circle.
The DoT intends to release further Spectrum in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz ranges to
commercial mobile operators once the Indian defense services and other agencies vacate
these ranges and it anticipate that this could happen in the next three to six months. The
additional Spectrum should ensure that it’s not bandwidth constrained in any of its 13
Circles and thereby facilitate organic expansion. Although the opening up of additional
Spectrum will also allow further competitors to enter its 13 Circles, it believe that its well
positioned to face the increase in competitive pressures. It will evaluate 3G opportunities
as and when they become available.
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Derive synergies and economies of scale from an expanding operation
Since its incorporation in 2002, it has grown both organically and through acquisitions
and takeovers. In January 2004, it operated in only 5 Circles whereas now it has
operations in 11 of India’s 23 Circles and has recently received License for the Mumbai
Circle and, through Aditya Birla Telecom Limited, License for the Bihar Circle. It
believes that standardizing and centralizing its operations, wherever appropriate, will help
eliminate duplication and improve operational efficiencies. It has, for example,
standardized its approach to customer care. It has successfully centralized several
applications; including Enterprise Resource Planning using Oracle Financials,
interconnect billing using customized software, a call management system and a fraud
management system. In order to improve network utilization and to optimize its capital
and operating expenditures it also intend to:
1. Re-align key elements of capital expenditure towards optimal capacity utilization for a
mass market strategy. For example, it ensures that its equipment vendors’ charges, which
are based on number of subscribers, should only apply to subscribers actually using the
network;
2. Take advantage of scale in procurement by:
- aggregating multi-year procurement strategy for larger capital expenditure needs of its
13 Circles, which enables it to derive benefits from economies of scale with its vendors;
and
- delegating smaller-scale equipment acquisitions to its 13 Circles, thereby enhancing
efficiency
3. Utilize the available frequency Spectrum more efficiently through a variety of
frequency optimization techniques;
4. Continue to obtain bandwidth for capacity to carry calls from location to location
within its network at substantial discounts from the benchmark rates specified by TRAI;
and
5. Reduce the cost of operating a cell-site, for example by maximizing cell-site sharing,
by using solar power for Base Transreceiver Station (“BTS”) sites and outdoor BTS to
reduce power consumption.
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Build a meritocratic organization with a strong focus on people
It’s an equal opportunity employer and encourages diversity. The values it embraces
integrity, commitment, passion, seamlessness and speed. It places emphasis on employee
development and it has, for example, committed itself to an average of 10 days training
per employee this financial year. As part of the Aditya Birla Group, it makes full use of
the facilities of Gyanodaya, the Aditya Birla Group’s renowned management institute
located outside Mumbai, to ensure adequate training and team building. It regularly
evaluates its employees’ engagement levels to help ensure that subscribers’ experiences
exceed expectations.
It, and also the Aditya Birla Group, is seen as employers of choice. The Aditya Birla
Group offers career opportunities to high performing talent across its locations world-
wide, which contributes to its attractiveness as an employer.
It places significant emphasis upon delivering an efficient and friendly experience at all
contact points in the subscriber life cycle. Its tariffs are designed to be transparent and
easy to understand. It has developed call centers to focus on its subscribers’ needs for
service and to cross-sell its various products. It has consistently focused on innovative
products that address existing and latent needs of its subscribers. For example, it has
recently promoted a free one-year life insurance cover of Rs. 10,000 to a section of
customers who subscribe to its “Dialler Tone” VAS. The simplicity of application for and
the security provided by the cover matched the profile of the segment of customers to
which it was targeted. At present, approximately 44% of its employees serve in customer-
facing roles.
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Introduction
Statement of Problem
The country’s mobile service providers have been adding a combined 6.5 million
subscribers every month, making India the fastest growing telecom market in the world.
But ARPUs (Average Revenue Per User) of Indian mobile companies, which are already
the lowest in the world, is continuing to head further south, even as companies are
registering a significant increase in their overall revenues. IDEA’s ARPU fell 1.6 per cent
to Rs 317 from Rs 322 a month a subscriber in the third quarter of 2006-07. However,
compared with the corresponding quarter of 2005-07, the figure fell a worrisome 15.1 per
cent. This decline has become a trend now; it has been declining continuously for past 3-
4 years. So this is a cause of concern for the company.
The ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) for the Indian Telecom Industry is continually
falling. The call rates in India are lowest in the world and therefore there is a pressure on
service providers to increase the ARPU because their profit margin is decreasing
continually. So they need to introduce other services and find out other means to increase
the revenue.
Every company needs to analyze the products that are major contributors of revenue and
profits. While most manufacturing companies look for the contribution from each product
segment, the service providing telecom companies search for the same nuance in the
average revenue per user (ARPU), which is indicative of the revenues that these
companies generate from each of its service offering like cellular mobile services, dialup
or broadband services.
Idea Cellular has seen a steady decline in its ARPUs on account of increased competitive
pressures. A part of the fall in the ARPUs can also be attributed to the reduction in
regulatory charges like the revision in interconnection usage charges, the reduction in
access deficit charge (ADC) and also due to a shift in customer profile. The company has
15
over the years witnessed a marked increase in its prepaid customers (as a percentage of
total subscriber base), which has caused a reduction in its blended ARPUs. However a
fast paced subscriber addition and an increase in the minutes of usage (MOU) per
subscriber per month has led to an increase in the overall revenues of the company. As it
is explained below:
What is ARPU
A cellular mobile service provider derives its revenues by way of tariff charges for
outgoing calls made by subscribers on its network. As such, revenue for a cellular mobile
service provider is simply a multiple of average revenue per subscriber per month
(ARPU) and number of subscribers. Let us now understand what determines the ARPUs
and subscriber base. Average revenue per subscriber per month, or ARPU, is the amount
of money that a cellular mobile service provider generates per subscriber per month. It
can be obtained by dividing the total wireless revenues by number of subscribers and then
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dividing the output by number of months in a period. To even out the volatility in
ARPUs, if any, it is better to arrive at the figure by averaging the wireless revenues and
subscriber base for the latest two years. However, considering the rapid pace of
subscriber addition for Indian cellular mobile service providers, ARPU calculated as
dividing the trailing 12-months wireless revenues by latest subscriber base.
Growth in MoU does not necessarily increase the ARPU. Most of such growth is due to
reduction in cost per unit thereby encouraging usage but as the revenue per minute is
lowered, the ARPU does not grow at the same pace. In fact it has been observed that
ARPUs have been consistently falling in spite of double-digit growth in MOU.
Importance of ARPUs
Tariffs and minutes of usage drive the ARPUs. The tariffs are representative of the
competitive pressure in the market, as increased competition will drive the tariffs down to
their more competitive levels. In certain cases, tariffs may also fall on account of a
reduction in the regulatory charges as levied by the regulatory body (TRAI in this case).
The minutes of usage are indicative of the usage of the service by subscribers and in turn
representative of the network utilization of telecom companies. Thus, the ARPUs are an
important tool for analyzing the subscriber and devising strategies to maximize revenues
through various tariff plans. The tariff plans are framed in such a way that they appear
attractive to new customers and also incentives the existing prepaid customers to switch
to postpaid tariff plans. This helps the company to maximize its reach with prepaid
customers as also to convert prepaid customers to relatively higher revenue yielding
postpaid customers.
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Lower ARPUs and margins
Idea has a lower ARPU compared with Bharti Airtel and Hutchison Essar. Though it has a
slightly higher ARPU than Reliance Communications', it takes a hit in its operating profit
margin (OPM). Idea has a lower OPM at 33.6% compared with Reliance
Communications and Bharti Airtel both of which have OPM of close to 40%. The lower
ARPU can be attributed to the company's (a) lower market share; (b) absence in the
lucrative Mumbai circle and (c) high share of pre-paid customers (88%). The margin is
lower due to the lower ARPU and the launch of three new circles in the last year, which
dragged down the OPM. Going forward, as the operations in the new circles stabilise in
the medium term, the OPM would stabilise too.
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Description of Current Situation
The buoyancy of the Indian economy has increased the purchasing power of consumers.
Disposable incomes have risen by a CAGR of 10% over the last ten years, resulting in an
increase in consumption expenditure. According to the National Center for Applied
Economic Research (“NCAER”), the number of households in the “middle income”,
“high income” and “rich” categories is expected to increase to approximately 37 million,
21 million and 23 million, respectively, by financial year 2007 from approximately 24
million, 14 million and 12 million, respectively.
Increasing Affordability
This significant improvement in affluence coupled with the growing working population
is expected to be one of the key drivers for increased mobile telecommunication
penetration in the future.
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Favorable Demographics in India
The favorable demographic profile of India as reflected in the increase in the population
in the age group 15-44 is a factor for the growth in the demand for telecommunications
services since this age group is associated with a higher propensity to spend with
increasing disposable income and with increasing “trend awareness”
The contribution of the service-oriented sectors to the Indian GDP has increased
significantly in the past five decades. Service oriented sectors contributed approximately
29% of the GDP in 1960 and contributed approximately 54% of the GDP in 2005. This
growth is primarily due to enhancements in information technology and information
technology-enabled services in the last two decades. This should in turn lead to increased
demand for mobile telecommunications services.
Declining tariffs and reduced handset costs have enhanced subscriber growth
Tariffs have been declining over the past ten years. Handset costs have also decreased
significantly in recent years. This has reduced the entry barriers for new subscribers and
thus expanded the markets available to telecommunications service providers.
Mobile operators in the Indian telecommunications industry have generally attained the
necessary number of subscribers to benefit from various economies of scale and to
negotiate better prices from network equipment vendors. As a consequence, as well as
because of significant subscriber growth, incremental capital expenditure per subscriber
is expected to fall in the future.
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Increased regulatory clarity
Regulatory changes and refinements in recent years have brought greater clarity to
existing rules and procedures, which should enable operators to focus on improving
network quality and providing telecommunications services to subscribers under a stable
regulatory regime.
This situation should also make it easier for companies operating in the
telecommunications sector in India to raise finance and other funding on more attractive
terms given the greater predictability of the operational environment. Since the regulatory
framework is an evolving process within the industry, there remain certain issues such as
3G Spectrum allocations and number portability which require further clarity from the
regulators.
The growth in this segment is primarily due to lower entry costs for subscribers and
availability of products and services. From the perspective of a mobile operator, pre-paid
subscribers are logistically easier to manage than post-paid subscribers as they don’t
require elaborate sales infrastructure nor do they pose significant credit risks as payments
are received upfront. The latest micro pre-paid plans and extended validity cards by
mobile operators have proved popular and have taken subscriber growth to new levels.
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CORPORATE PROFILE
Competitive Strengths
As at December 31, 2006, the Established Circles and the New Circles covered 57.7% of
India’s total population and about 57.9% of India’s current subscriber base. It have
approximately 14.7% share of these subscribers as at December 31, 2006 although
services in the three New Circles were only recently commercially launched. Andhra
Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra and the metropolitan Circle of Delhi, which are
economically well-developed, each with average per capita state domestic products
higher than the national average. These four Circles alone account for 30.4% of all
mobile subscribers in India as at December 31, 2006.
Market leader in three of, and established positions in the remainder of, the
Established Circles.
It is the market leader in the Haryana, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh (west) Circles by
number of subscribers. As at December 31, 2006 it had over 0.75 million subscribers and
a market share of 20.3% in the Haryana Circle, over 2.5 million subscribers and a market
share of over 23.0% in the Maharashtra Circle and it had nearly 1.5 million subscribers
and a market share of approximately 21.2% in the Uttar Pradesh (west) Circle. It believes
its leading market position has helped it to develop strong brand recognition and a high
profile among existing and potential subscribers. It believes this position also has allowed
it to establish a strategy of developing a larger, more active pre-paid card distribution
network than its competitors in these Circles.
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Original licensee in seven of the Established Circles providing incumbency
advantages
It is the original licensee in seven of the Established Circles, namely the category A
Circles of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra and the category B Circles of
Haryana, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh (west). Although initially it paid
higher fixed license fees, it believes that being an original licensee has enabled it to:
- reduce its capital expenditure and operating costs as it were allocated Spectrum in the
900 MHz frequency band, which has allowed it to provide networks with a lower density
of cell sites than is required for services in the 1800MHz frequency band typically made
available to subsequent market entrants;
- access the early subscribers, who tend to be more affluent and typically have higher
ARPU;
- cater to a critical mass of subscribers, thereby making it harder for new operators to
enter the market and gain market share; and
- benefit from the 2% reduction in its license fees for a period of four years with effect
from April 1, 2004.
A national brand
It has sought to develop the “Idea” brand nationally to represent high quality customer
service and a wide variety of innovative products. It believes its brand gives it a strong
platform from which to market mobile services to new subscribers. As it emerges as a
national player, it have begun associating itself with visible and prestigious events such
as the International Indian Film Academy Awards, the Zee Fashion Awards and the “Idea
News Headlines” to give its brand national visibility.
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Critical mass of 12.44 million subscribers
It has developed its distribution network to maximize the breadth and depth of its
distribution channels and the consequent ease of access to its pre-paid, post-paid and
corporate subscribers. As at December 31, 2006, approximately 88.0% of its subscribers
were pre-paid. These subscribers pay for mobile services by means of purchasing pre-
paid cards, which are sold through approximately 154,070 retail outlets. These retail
outlets are serviced through approximately 1,355,115 exclusive distributors, many of
whom have long-term relationships with it. The breadth of its distribution network has
grown by over 30% in the past year. In addition it operate approximately 540 Idea ‘n U
and other showrooms which supplement its distribution channels and provide customer
service.
Its GSM network is supplied by leading equipment suppliers such as Ericsson, Nokia and
Siemens who are at the forefront of GSM technology. In each of the Established Circles
and the New Circles, it has maintained a high degree of integrity on the network
architecture whereby elements of GSM equipment are largely supplied by a single
vendor. For example, Ericsson is its principal supplier for the Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan Circles, Nokia is its principal supplier for
its Andhra Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana Circles and Siemens is its principal supplier for
the Kerala, Uttar Pradesh (East) and Uttar Pradesh (west) Circles. This architecture
facilitates easy scalability and efficiency in operations into the future. It have adopted a
24
“distributed network” architecture for its base station controllers (“BSC”) and switches in
the Established Circles and the New Circles which has helped it build a reliable network
whilst minimizing the transmission costs. It has deployed the highly developed
“Intelligent Network” system from Ericsson and Nokia for its prepaid system and has
integrated these with its “Online Service Control” system for online charging of roaming
SMS, WAP, MMS and GPRS for prepaid subscribers.
It has implemented GPRS across all the Established Circles and the New Circles with
Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (“EDGE”), which provides its subscribers
with data transfer speeds superior to GPRS, activated in major towns across the
Established Circles and the New Circles.
It’s a part of the Aditya Birla Group, which is amongst the largest business groups in
India in terms of market capitalization. The Aditya Birla Group is well respected in India
and it benefit from the confidence that consumers, lenders, vendors from whom it seek
vendor financing and other financial institutions place in members of the Aditya Birla
Group. Its relationship with the Aditya Birla Group provides scope for exploiting
synergies to create value for its business. For example, it have entered into a strategic
alliance with Birla Sun Life Insurance Company Limited, a private insurance company, in
relation to the cross selling of products. It’s a professionally managed company that
requires the commitment and expertise of its employees to successfully execute its
growth strategies. It believes the combination of its management structure and supportive
relationship with the Aditya Birla Group enables it to effectively manage a dynamic
business and to respond quickly to rapidly changing market situations.
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Risk Factors
Idea has experienced significant growth in recent periods. Its total number of subscribers
has increased from 7.36 million as at March 31, 2006 to approximately 12.44 million as
at December 31,2006. Based on statistics compiled by the Cellular Operators Association
of India (“COAI) it acquired a approximately 5.08 million subscribers in the last nine
months, of which its records indicate approximately 97.0% were prepaid subscribers.
To meet anticipated growth in demand for mobile services it intends to increase the
capacity of the Established Circles and to continue to roll-out network in the New
Circles. It also plans to roll-out services in the Mumbai and Bihar Circles and to operate
its NLD license. It is actively seeking further licenses and has filed the License
Applications. There can be no assurance that it will be able to execute owes strategy on
time and within budget or that it will retain its subscribers on its network, achieve the
network quality, capacity or revenues or enroll the number of new subscribers that it have
planned.
26
The Churn rate in its networks is high increasing its subscriber acquisition costs and
resulting in the loss of future subscriber revenues
Its revenues are derived solely from providing mobile services and it’s dependent on
four of the Established Circles for a significant proportion of revenues
27
It had negative cash flows in the financial years 2002, 2003 and 2006. Any negative
cash flows in the future could have an adverse effect on its results of operations
It competes with players like MTNL in the Delhi Circle and BSNL in its other Circles.
MTNL and BSNL also are incumbent operators in certain of the Circles for which it has
submitted License Applications. These telecommunications operators are state-owned
enterprises and are controlled by the Government and thus enjoy certain advantages. For
example, BSNL is not required to pay Entry Fees, giving it a significant competitive edge
over other mobile operators.
These companies also have interconnect benefits allowing, for example, MTNL to
provide, as it has recently done, local call rates to its subscribers for calls between the
metros of Mumbai and Delhi. Additionally, BSNL holds an NLD license. There can be no
assurance that it will be able to compete successfully with the Government operators and,
if the Government does not ensure a level playing field its business, results of operations,
financial condition and prospects could be negatively impacted.
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Its revenues from Roaming are dependent on its ability to enter into appropriate
arrangements with other operators
Currently all mobile operators offer Roaming services to both their pre-paid and post-
paid subscribers. Until recently, Roaming was a sizeable source of revenue for mobile
operators. The strategy deployed by integrated operators and those having a pan-India
footprint is to encourage preferred domestic Roaming whereby the subscriber roams with
the same operator even when outside his or her home network. Until it achieves a pan-
India footprint it will not be able to provide such seamless Roaming services to its
subscribers (especially when compared to its major competitors) unless it continue to
have appropriate arrangements with other operators.
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Objective & Scope
Objectives
The summer internship done with Idea Cellular Objective was to find the ways of
increasing the ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) for the company.
The objective of the summer project was to understand the customer preferences
while choosing a telecom service provider.
Other main objective of the project was to study the trends in the International
Telecom market.
Scope
The scope of the study was limited to Noida and Greater Noida region. This project was
conducted for Idea Cellular Limited to assess the preferences of mobile users in India.
The project is limited to direct observations from the data collected. Data collected with
help of questionnaire was put in excel sheets.
A survey of 400 Mobile users was conducted in Noida and Greater Noida. The
sample has covered the mobile users of other service providers also as to understand the
competition and their strength and weaknesses.
The survey was limited mainly to the youth because they are the most significant
part of the customer base and they are the trend setters. They are the customers where
revenues come from.
Scope of the project also includes the analysis of the strengths, weaknesses and
opportunities that the company possesses and the various threats posed by the
competitors like: Hutch and Airtel in the market.
Scope of the survey includes identifying customer needs and services that they
expect from a service provider so as to take measures to increase the average revenue per
user and increase the market share of Idea.
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CHAPTER -2
31
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The objective of the questionnaire was to study the spending behavior of the telecom
users, to study for how long they stick to a service provider, also to find out the customer
priorities while buying the a new number.
The research design chosen was Descriptive Research Design because the survey was
conducted to get the customer insight and to know their preferences. Also it was to find
out perception about the service provided by telecom companies. So mainly it was to
describe the telecom market characteristics.
I did random sampling while conducting the survey. The survey was conducted in Noida
and Greater Noida region. A total of 400 telecom users were studied, and most of them
belonged to the youth category because my main objective was to find out the spending
habit of Indian youth. And the reason behind this was that it’s the youth who is revenue
generator today.
The secondary data was collected to understand the market trends and forecast in
developed and developing countries. This data was mainly collected from the research
companies’ sites on the basis of their market research. These trends then were analyzed
whether these can be applied by Indian Telecom players.
32
DATA ANALYSIS
1. Reason for Choosing
The survey reveals that the main reason for choosing Idea is New Good Scheme; more
than 50% Idea user who responded the survey were attracted to buy Idea Cellular because
of its New Good Scheme. Other main reason for choosing Idea was Call Rates of Idea
Cellular. But if we see the General trend, people choose any mobile service mainly
because of its better connectivity.
3% 3% 9% 0%
51% 34%
3% 5%
25% 27%
5%
10%
25%
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2. Duration of Usage
The duration of usage shows the loyalty towards a brand. Here according to the survey,
only around 50% of the Idea customers are using Idea for more than 6 months but if we
see the general trend, the people using a telecom service provider’s service for more than
6 months is 60%. So there is less customer retention in case of Idea Cellular as compared
to other users.
33%
40%
12% 15%
Less than 3 Months 3-6 Months 6-12 Months More than 1 Year
32%
47%
8%
13%
Less than 3 Months 3-6 Months 6-12 Months More than 1 Year
. Monthly Bill
34
Monthly bill for Idea cellular is almost similar to the other service providers but if we see
it closely the portion of user spending more than Rs.800 is lesser than the Industry
average.
6% 20%
23%
51%
9% 24%
19%
48%
35
4. Attention to VAS messages
There is a positive sign that 30% of the Idea users pay attention to the VAS messages sent
by the company whereas only 20% of the mobile users pay attention generally to these
messages. So it’s a positive sign because until they know about the VAS, they will not
buy that service.
21%
79%
Yes No
36
5. VAS Used
According to the survey 55% of the mobile users do not use VAS but this figure is
alarming high for Idea Cellular i.e. 70%. Main VAS used by Idea customers is dialer
tones and ring tones. And same is the case for the whole telecom industry. So it needs to
introduce new attractive VAS and make people know about them.
12%
6%
3%
9%
70%
2%
1% 12%
10%
55% 1%
4%
15%
37
6. Amount spent on VAS
The survey shows that only 27% of the Idea users spend more than Rs.15 per month and
rest of them are spending either nothing or less than Rs.15. And the general trend is not
quite different; generally around 33% of the user spends more than Rs.15. So the average
revenue for Idea from VAS is lower than the Industry average.
9% 3%
15%
73%
8% 3%
22%
67%
38
7. Satisfaction Level with Price
The survey result shows that around 24% of the Idea users are not satisfied with the price
charged by the Idea cellular. 37% of the Idea users are neutral. But if we compare it with
Airtel only 17% users are dissatisfied. And satisfied portion is around 40% whereas Airtel
has around 50% of satisfied customers.
12% 3%
21%
27%
37%
10% 5% 12%
40%
33%
39
8. Satisfaction Level with Connectivity
Connectivity for Idea Cellular is not considered to be very good, but on this front Idea
has improved. But if we compare it with Airtel, its far behind. Idea has 61% users
satisfied whereas Airtel has 88% satisfied customers.
15% 3% 15%
21%
46%
0% 12%
33%
55%
40
9. Satisfaction Level with VAS
The survey shows that there is a major portion who is not bothered about the VAS and
that portion is neutral. 58% of the Idea users are neutral about the VAS as compared to
48% of Airtel users. Here 9% of the Idea cellular users are dissatisfied as compared to
13% of the Airtel users.
6% 0% 9%
27%
58%
5% 2% 11%
34%
48%
41
10. Customer Care Services
58% of the Idea customers are satisfied as compared to 64% of Airtel. Also 15% of the
Idea customers are not satisfied as compared to 12% of the Airtel. Both of these have
almost equal portion of neutral customers.
6% 3% 12%
27%
52%
12% 5% 7%
24%
52%
42
Idea is not considered to be a big brand name as compared to Airtel. Only 29% of the
Idea users consider it a better brand name while 74% of Airtel users consider Airtel a
better Brand name. Also only 2% of Airtel users think that Airtel is not a better brand
whereas 12% of the Idea users consider Idea it a poor brand.
Brand Idea
6% 6%
23% 23%
42%
Brand Airtel
0%
2%
21%
24%
53%
43
12. Attractive New Good Scheme
Idea is famous for giving new schemes. 61% of the Idea users say that Idea gives
attractive new schemes as compared to Airtel’s 41%. Only 3% of the Idea users do not
agree to this statement as compared to 15% of Airtel users. So idea is far ahead in giving
new attractive schemes.
15% 0%3%
36%
46%
5% 5% 10%
36%
44%
44
13. Promotional Offer
According to the survey 65% of the Idea users believe that Idea’s promotional are good
as compared to 54% of Airtel user think that its promotional offer are good. 29% of the
Idea users are neutral as compared to Airtel’s 39%.
15% 3% 3%
29%
50%
7% 2% 5%
39%
47%
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CHAPTER-3
46
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
1. As I was doing my summer training at DST ( Distribution & Sales Terminal ) so I had
no details of customers that company have at the Corporate office.
2. The sample for the survey covered subscribers from NCR only.
6. It is very small research, which may be insufficient to give the real picture.
47
CHAPTER-4
48
FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS
The survey result shows that around 24% of the Idea users are not satisfied with
the price charged by the Idea cellular. 37% of the Idea users are neutral. But if we
compare it with Airtel only 17% users are dissatisfied. And satisfied portion is
around 40% whereas Airtel has around 50% of satisfied customers.
According to the survey 65% of the Idea users believe that Idea’s promotional are
good as compared to 54% of Airtel user think that its promotional offer are good.
29% of the Idea users are neutral as compared to Airtel’s 39%.
Idea is famous for giving new schemes. 61% of the Idea users say that Idea gives
attractive new schemes as compared to Airtel’s 41%. Only 3% of the Idea users
do not agree to this statement as compared to 15% of Airtel users. So idea is far
ahead in giving new attractive schemes.
Idea is not considered to be a big brand name as compared to Airtel. Only 29% of
the Idea users consider it a better brand name while 74% of Airtel users consider
Airtel a better Brand name. Also only 2% of Airtel users think that Airtel is not a
better brand whereas 12% of the Idea users consider Idea it a poor brand.
The survey shows that there is a major portion who is not bothered about the VAS
and that portion is neutral. 58% of the Idea users are neutral about the VAS as
compared to 48% of Airtel users. Here 9% of the Idea cellular users are
dissatisfied as compared to 13% of the Airtel users.
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CHAPTER-6
50
SUGGESTION
First of all what Idea need to do is to improve its image among its own customers. Its
churn rate is high so it needs to retain its existing customers along with acquiring new
customers because it’s old customer who brings revenue for the company. So Idea needs
to focus on its existing customer base because the churn rate in telecom industry is
increasing at an alarming pace and the reason for it is the fierce competition. As is doing
now, calling its ex-customers and asking for the reasons for leaving Airtel because it has
realized the problem of churn. So Idea also need to focus on this thing.
Idea should work on its connectivity; its connectivity is not up to the desired mark. It’s
the connectivity of the service provider that decides the quality. Idea also needs to
improve the customer care service. Idea is able to start new VAS in the past but presently
few customers use these VAS. So it needs to keep coming with new attractive Value
Added Services. And the reason for that is the future of the mobile telephony that lies in
Value Added Services. They will bring the revenues for the telecom companies
Other thing Idea can do is to introduce attractive Value Added Service that are possible at
this point of time. 3G is almost reached and Airtel is starting IP TV. So Idea can take this
as an eye-opener. Idea can start applications like Mobile Magazine, Mobile Learning,
Mobile Marketing, Mobile Social Networking, Mobile Blogging and Music Downloads
etc. because these are very potential services which can generate huge revenues for the
company.
51
CHAPTER-7
52
SUMMARY
53
CHAPTER- 8
54
CONCLUSIONS
The reasearch shows that the JKTYRE Ltd. has a low image among its own customers.
They are not fully satisfied with the service they are getting and customer satisfaction is
the base for any company to survive. The main reason for choosing a service provider is
connectivity and Idea is not meeting the expectations of the customers on this front.
Idea is not able to retain its customers as compared to other service providers. The churn
rate for Idea Cellular is high and it has maximum of new customers as compared to other
service providers. And it’s a satisfied old customer who spends more money than a new
one. Monthly spending by Idea users is less than the other players.
The future of the mobile companies lies in Value Added Services, these services will be
the revenue generator in the future. Idea customers pay more attention to Value Added
Service related messages than other customers. Unless a customer know about something
how can he use it.
Survey shows that the customer portion that doesn’t use any VAS for Idea is very large.
The main VAS used by Idea as well as generally are Dialer tones and Ringtones. The
money spent on VAS by Idea customers is lower than the general customers.
Satisfaction level with Price or Call rates of Idea users is high. Idea is positioned among
the user as a low price player and hence Idea is trying to penetrate the customer base with
lower prices. But even when its prices are lower than others customers are not happy with
it as compared to Airtel whose prices are higher and customer are happy for the prices.
The reason is that Airtel provides the value for money, it provides connectivity whereas
Idea has poor connectivity.
Idea attracts new customers on the basis of new attractive scheme or promotional offers,
means on the basis of prices which is a poor way doing of business.
55
In terms of customer care service also Airtel and Hutch are above Idea. Idea is also not a
big Brand name as compared to others like Airtel and Hutch. So these things like
connectivity, customer care service and brand name stand for quality. And the company
which lacks these fields is considered poor.
The trends in developed countries show that the customers are demanding new and new
Value Added Services. As 3G is about to reach India so these high quality value added
services will no longer be out of reach of Indian Telecom companies. Mobile sports is
going to be a big start in Asia with Beijing Olympics.
Mobile Blogging is a very good application that is catching up very fast. Another trend
that is catching up is Mobile Magazine. In developed countries some magazine publishers
have begun offering mini-versions of their content via mobile phones.
Mobile marketing can be a good revenue generator for the telecom companies. It can be
one of the major revenue generators among value added services. And good news is that
people are more open to mobile ads. Successful will leverage mobile phone technology to
create deeper and longer-lasting customer relationship.
Mobile Learning can become a good value added service because unlike e-learning,
which is dominated by corporate buyers, mobile learning is being driven by consumer,
government, and healthcare buyers. A variety of new and enhanced m-learning services
cab be language learning, test prep, training podcasts, location-based services and
handheld continuing education content. Healthcare buyers are already taking the benefits
of m-learning in Europe.
But all these services can be delivered when a company retain its customers and biggest
loophole in retaining customer for Idea is its network. And network is the foremost thing
that customer wants.
56
References
www.fiercemobilecontent.com/channels/trends_metrics
www.equitymaster.com/ideacellular
www.moneycontrol.com/india/newsarticle
www.ideacellular.com
www.ibef.org/industry/telecommunications
www.indiatelecom.org
57
ANNEXURE
Questionnaire
PART A
NAME _______________________________________
AGE (a) 10-25 (b) 26-40 (c) 41 and above
SEX (a) Male (b) Female
INCOME (a) Up to 2 lakhs (b) 2-5 lakhs (c) 5 lakhs and above (d) N.A.
PROFESSION (a) Service (b) Business (c) Student (d) Any other
PART B
1) Which company’s telecom service you are using?
a) Airtel b) Hutch c) Idea d) Reliance e) Tata Indicom f) Any Other___
5) Do you pay attention to messages for Value Added Services like ringtones, background
tones, dialer tones, contests, picture messages etc.?
a) Yes b) No
8) An overall service offered by service provider justifies the price charged by it.
a) Strongly Agree b) Agree c) Neutral d) Disagree e) Strongly Disagree
15) How would you rank the promotional offering by the company?
a) Very Good b) Good c) Average d) Poor e) Very Poor
PART C
Mark the following on scale of 1-7: Very Good=7, Very Poor=1
I. Tangibles:
The physical facilities at servicing outlets are visually appealing and organized
(well maintained reception area, computerized billing) ____
The payment counters are enough at outlets. ____
II. Reliability :
Provide their services at time they promise to do so. ____
If a customer has a problem, shows a sincere interest in solving it. ____
III. Responsiveness:
Personnel give prompt services to customers. ____
Any queries at any point of day convenient to customer. ____
IV. Assurance
Personnel at servicing outlets are courteous with customers ____
Have knowledge to answer customer’s questions. ____
V. Empathy:
Give individual attention and understand specific needs ____
It keeps customers informed about services and schemes offered ____
59