STUDY ON REVOLUTIONIZATION

COMMUNICATION: A DEEP DIVE INTO THE

TELECOM INDUSTRY

Project Report submitted in Partial Fulfillment for the

Award of Degree of
BACHELOR OF COMMERCE [TAXATION]

SUBMITTED BY

Under the supervision & guidance of

Mrs. SWARNA LATHA

AVINASH COLLEGE OF COMMERCE

(AFFILIATED TO OSMANIA UNIVERSITY)

HIMMAYAT NAGAR , HYDERABAD

2020-2023

1
 AVINASH COLLEGE OF COMMERCE
(Affiliated to Osmania University)

Street no: 13-4-809/1/A

Himayat nagar,
Hyderabad

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project report entitled “A STUDY ON REVOLUTIONIZING

COMMUNICATION: A DEEP DIVE INTO THE TELECOM INDUSTRY” submitted in
fulfillment for the Award of Bachelor of commerce [TAXATION], Osmania University,
Hyderabad, was carried out by SANJANA YADAV, GOGULA PAVAN, S H A I K
ISMAIL HUSSAIN, MAYANK TIWARI . Under my guidance and supervision. This has
not been submitted to any other University or institution for the Award of any Degree /
diploma/ certificate.

GUIDE PRINCIPAL
EXTERNAL EXAMINER

2
 DECLARATION
This is to clarify that work reported in the project titled “STUDY ON
REVOLUTIONIZATION COMMUNICATION: A DEEP DIVE INTO THE TELECOM
INDUSTRY”
a record of work done by us in AVINASH COLLEGE OF
COMMERCE, Osmania University, Hyderabad.

No part of the project is copied from book or journals and wherever the portion
is taken, the same as duly referred in the text, the reported work is based on
project work-done by us not copied from any other source.

Name Roll No
SANJANA YADAV 201421406005

GOGULA PAVAN 201421406010

SHAIK ISMAIL HUSSAIN 201421406002
MAYANK TIWARI 201421406006

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 ABSTRACT

The telecommunication industry in India is rapidly growing and witnessing

many developments. It has gone through several transformations that has led
to severe competition in the industry. This article traces the major policy
reforms in the Indian telecommunication sector. Moreover, the article also
discusses the changesstrategies adopted by the two key market players -
Vodafone and Airtel. The paper will provide a comprehensive knowledge on
the recent developments in the sectorand will help highlight the changes in
the telecommunication industry.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

With great pleasure we want to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to all
people who helped in making this project grand success.

We expressed our deep sense of gratitude to Mrs. SWARNA LATHA Lecturer, internal
guide for her constant guidance throughout our project work.

First of all, we are highly indebted to Mrs. SAVITRI principal, for giving us the permissionto
carry out this project.

We would like to thank Teaching and Non -Teaching Staff of Department for sharing their
views with us.

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 INDEX

S.NO CHAPTER PAGE NO.

1 CHAPTER-1 8-12
1 INTRODUCTION 8

1.1 NEED OF STUDY 10

1.2 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 10

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 10

1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 10

1.5 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY 12

2 CHAPTER-2 13-14
2.1 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 13

3 CHAPTER-3 15-41
INDUSTRY PROFILE 15

3.1 INTRODUCTION 15

3.2 COMPETIVE ANALYSIS 15

3.3 COMPETITOR’S PROFILE 15

3.4 NEW COMPETITORS 16

3.5 MARKETING 17

3.6 FACTORS OF INFLUENCE ON MARKETING STRATEGIES 18

3.6.1 MARKETING MANAGENET 18

3.7 IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING 20

3.8 AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 21

3.9 MARKETING ENVIRONMENT 21

3.10 MARKETING RESEARCH 22

3.11 MARKETING EFFECTIVENESS 22

3.12 FACTORS DRIVING MARKETING EFFECTIVENESS 23

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 3.13 HISTROY OF TELECOM INDUSTRY 25

3.14 PRE-LIBERALIZATION STATISTICS 26

3.15 SECTORS IN TELECOM INDUSTRY 27

3.15.1 TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT SECTOR 27

3.15.2 TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES SECTOR 29

3.16 INDIAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS VISON & MISSION 31

3.17 DOT PROFILE 35

3.18 TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) 37

3.18.1 THE TELECOM REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF INDIA ACT, 38

1997
3.18.2 AMENDMENT TO THE TRAI ACT 38

3.18.3 INDEPENDENT TELECOM REGULATORY AUTHORITY 38

3.18.4 GOVERNMENT CONTROL OVER TRAI: 39

3.18.5 SCHEME OF THE TRAI ACT 39

3.18.6 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF TRAI 40

3.18.7 THE FUNCTIONS OF THE TRAI 41

3.19 TELECOM DISPUTES SETTLEMENT APPELLATE TRIBUNAL 41

4 CHAPTER-4 42-53

4.1 DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION 42

5 CHAPTER-5 54-56
5.1 CONCLUSION 54

5.2 SUGGESTIONS 55

5.3 BIBLIOGRAPHY 56

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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

A competitive analysis is a critical part of your company marketing plan. With this evaluation,
you can establish what makes your product or service unique--and therefore what attributes
you play up in order to attract your target market.

Competitor analysis includes:

Strategic Management

Strategic Management is all about identification and description of the strategies that
managers can carry so as to achieve better performance and a competitive advantage for
their organization. An organization is said to have competitive advantage if its profitability is
higher than the average profitability for all companies in its industry.

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Strategic management can also be defined as a bundle of decisions and acts which a manager
undertakes and which decides the result of the firm’s performance.

2 They should conduct a SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats),
i.e., they should make best possible utilization of strengths, minimize the organizational
weaknesses, make use of arising opportunities from the business environment and shouldn’t
ignore the threats.

Strategic management is nothing but planning for both predictable as well as unfeasible
contingencies. It is applicable to both small as well as large organizations as even the smallest
organization face competition and, by formulating and implementing appropriate strategies,
they can attain sustainable competitive advantage.

Strategic management is a continuous process that evaluates and controls the business and
the industries in which an organization is involved; evaluates its competitors and sets goals
and strategies to meet all existing and potential competitors; and then revaluates strategies
on a regular basis to determine how it has been implemented and whether it was successful
or does it needs replacement.

Strategic Management gives a broader perspective to the employees of an organization and

they can better understand how their job fits into the entire organizational plan and how it is
co-related to other organizational members. It is nothing but the art of managing employees
in a manner which maximizes the ability of achieving business objectives. The employees
become more trustworthy, more committed and more satisfied as they can co-relate
themselves very well with each organizational task. They can understand the reaction of
environmental changes on the organization and the probable response of the organization
with the help of strategic management. Thus the employees can judge the impact of such
changes on their own job and can effectively face the changes. The managers and employees
must do appropriate things in appropriate manner. They need to be both effective as well as
efficient.

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NEED OF THE STUDY:

1. There are several important elements of competitive analysis, each of which need to be
carefully studied if one hopes to transform competitive analysis activities into business
profitability. Major aspects of competitive analysis include the following:

2. Defining Competitors

3. Analysis of competitor strengths and weakness

4. Analysis of internal strength and weakness

5. Analysis of customer needs and wants. In the present day dynamic business environment,
it is essential that every organisation has to observe his competitors and their strategies on a
continuous basis in order to be competitive and to understand the needs and wants of the
customers.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY:

Scope defines the products offered to the market and the customers that purchase them. It
needs to incorporate both “static” and “dynamic” analysis. A static analysis defines where the
competitor is and what it is doing at the present time. Dynamic analysis refers to move
competitor and how they are making over time in its choice of products or customers and
both. Customer segments may be identified by needs or the demographics tied to those need
states

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

1. To awareness about the BSNL mobiles and broadband services.

2. To understand the level of the satisfaction with BSNL services.

3. To ascertain the customer preference of service provider while availing the service.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

Every business works on an explicit or implicit “business plan”, which comprises of both the
corporate and the competitive strategies of the firm. To implement the above two strategies
there are functional areas, which have their own strategies and plan. The major functional
areas of business are marketing, production, finance, human resource management.

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Marketing research plays an important role in deciding on the market strategy by providing
information necessary for choosing an appropriate strategy. This could be termed as
marketing research at strategic level of marketing.

PRIMARY DATA

The primary data is collected by conducting the field survey with the help of the structure
questionnaire and by administering this questionnaire on the sample of respondents.

SECONDARY DATA:

The secondary data are usually of two types internal and external. Internal records of the
company are used as the point of the marketing research. This includes information about
the product being researched, its history, company’s background, market share
and Competitors. These types of information were collected from the marketing department,
sales department and corporate cell for marketing intelligence in the company.

External secondary data contains information available from public sources such as business
newspapers, business magazines. A prominent source of data is the CMIE (Centre for
Monitoring Indian Economy). which publishes monthly reports on various aspects of Indian
economy and Industry.

STATISTICAL TOOLS:

The data thus obtained through the survey was analysed with the help of statistical tools such
as bar diagrams and sample percentages.

SAMPLING:

1. The sample size taken for the above study is 60.

2. Convenient sampling method has been adopted for the study.

3. Samples are taken from the BSNL customer service centres in Hyderabad and also from the
employees of BSNL.

4. 60 samples has been chosen from Hyderabad, Gachibowli, Madeenaguda, Kukatpally and
Balnagar.

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 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:

1. The research had to be conducted with in some of the places of Hyderabad, and the report
had to be made on basis of the findings which could be in minor differences from the facts
and figures from all over India.

2. There were some questions which the BSNL officials were not ready to answer Like for
example, the exact reason behind losing market share and exact reason for customer
dissatisfaction.

3. Time constraint was also a one of the major factors which prevented me from conducting
a research in depth

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CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.1 REVIEWS BY EXPERTS:

The foundation of telecom network in India was laid by the British sometimes in 19th century.
The history of BSNL is linked with the beginning of telecom in India. In 19th century and for
almost entire 20th century, the telecom in India was operated as a government of India wing.
Earlier it was part of erstwhile post & telegraph department (P&T). In 1975 the department
of telecom (Dot) was separated from p & t. Dot was responsible for running of telecom
services in entire country until 1985 when Mahan Nagar Telecom Telephone Nigam limited
(MTNL) was carved out of dot to run the telecom services of Delhi and Mumbai. It is a well-
known fact that BSNL was carved out of department of telecom to provide level playing field
to provide telecoms. Subsequently in 1990s the telecom sector was opened up by the
government for private investment therefore it became necessary to separate the
government policy wing from operations wing. The government of India corporatized the
operations wing of dot on October 01, 2000 and named it is Bharat Sanchar Nigam limited
(BSNL). BSNL operates as a public sector.

Customer satisfaction is defined as “the number of customers or percentage of total

customers, whose reported experience with a firm, its products, or its services (ratings)
exceeds specified satisfaction goals.” Stephan A. Butscher

Organizations need to retain existing customers while targeting non-customers. Steven

Wheeler

It is essential for firms to effectively manage customer satisfaction. To be able do this, we

need accurate measurement of satisfaction. Parasuraman, Zeithaml and berry

Hedonic benefits are associated with the sensory and experiential attributes of the product.
Utilitarian benefits of a product are associated with the more instrumental and functional
attributes of the product. Batra and Athol, a 1990.

Six-item 7-point bipolar scale by Wirtz & Lee (2003), that consistently performed best across
both hedonic and utilitarian services loaded most highly on satisfaction, had the highest item

13
reliability, and had by far the lowest error variance across both studies. In the study, the six
items 7 asked respondents evaluation of their most recent experience with ATM services and
ice cream restaurant, along seven points within these six items: “please me to displeased me”,
“contented with to disgusted with”, “very satisfied with to very dissatisfied with”, “did a good
job for me to did a poor job for me”, “wise choice to poor choice” and “happy with to unhappy
with”.

A semantic differential (4 items) scale by Eroglu and Machleit (1990), which is a four item
7point bipolar scale, was the second best performing measure, which was again consistent
across both contexts. In the study, respondents were asked to evaluate their experience with
both products, along seven points within these four items: “satisfied to dissatisfied”,
“favourable to unfavourable”, “pleasant to unpleasant”, and “I like it very much to I didn’t like
it at all”.

The third best scale was single-item percentage measure, a one-item 7-point bipolar scale by
Westbrook (1980). Again, the respondents were asked to evaluate their experience on both
ATM services and ice cream restaurants, along seven points within “delighted to terrible”.

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CHAPTER-3

INDUSTRY PROFILE

INTRODUCTION:

Competitor analysis in marketing and strategic management is an assessment of the

strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors. This analysis provides both
an offensive and defensive strategic context to identify opportunities and threats. Profiling
coalesces all of the relevant sources of competitor analysis into one framework in the support
of efficient and effective strategy formulation, implementation, monitoring and adjustment.

COMPETIVE ANALYSIS:

One common and useful technique is constructing a competitor array. The steps include:

Define your industry – scope and nature of the industry.

Determine who your competitors are.

Determine who your customers are and what benefits they expect.

Determine what the key success factors are in your industry.

Rank the key success factors by giving each one a weighting – The sum of all the weightings
must add up to one.

Rate each competitor on each of the key success factors.

Multiply each cell in the matrix by the factor weighting.

This can best be displayed on a two dimensional matrix – competitors along the top and key
success factors down the side.

COMPETITOR’S PROFILE:

The strategic rationale of competitor profiling is powerfully simple. Superior knowledge of

rivals offers a legitimate source of competitive advantage. The raw material of competitive
advantage consists of offering superior customer value in the firm’s chosen market. The
definitive characteristic of customer value is the adjective, superior. Customer value is

15
defined relative to rival offerings making competitor knowledge an intrinsic component of
corporate strategy. Profiling facilitates this strategic objective in three important ways.

First, profiling can reveal strategic weaknesses in rivals that the firm may exploit. Second, the
proactive stance of competitor profiling will allow the firm to anticipate the strategic response
of their rivals to the firm’s planned strategies, the strategies of other competing firms, and
changes in the environment. Third, this proactive knowledge will give the firms strategic
agility. Offensive strategy can be implemented more quickly in order to exploit opportunities
and capitalize on strengths. Similarly, defensive strategy can be employed more deftly in
order to counter the threat of rival firms from exploiting the firm’s own weaknesses.

Clearly, those firms practicing systematic and advanced competitor profiling have a significant
advantage. As such, a comprehensive profiling capability is rapidly becoming a core
competence required for successful competition. An appropriate analogy is to consider this
advantage as akin to having a good idea of the next move that your opponent in a chess match
will make. By staying one move ahead, checkmate is one step closer. Indeed, as in chess, a
good offense is the best defines in the game of business as well.

A common technique is to create detailed profiles on each of your major competitors. These
profiles give an in-depth description of the competitor's background, finances, products,
markets, facilities, personnel, and strategies. This involves:

NEW COMPETITORS: In addition to analysing current competitors, it is necessary to

estimate future competitive threats. The most common sources of new competitors are:

 Companies competing in a related product/market

 Companies using related technologies
 Companies already targeting your prime market segment but with unrelated products
 Companies from other geographical areas and with similar products
 New start-up companies organized by former employees and/or managers of existing
Companies

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The entrance of new competitors is likely when:

 There are high profit margins in the industry

 There is unmet demand (insufficient supply) in the industry
 There are no major barriers to entry
 There is future growth potential
 Competitive rivalry is not intense
 Gaining a competitive advantage over existing firms is feasible.

MARKETING:

Marketing is a widely used term to describe the communication between a company and the
consumer audience that aims to increase the value of the company or its merchandise or, at
its simplest, raises the profile of the company and its products in the public mind. The purpose
of marketing is to induce behavioural change in the receptive audience. The American
Marketing Association most recently defined marketing as "the activity, set of institutions,
and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have
value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large."

The techniques used in marketing include choosing target markets through market analysis
and market segmentation, as well as understanding methods of influence on the consumer
behaviour.

From a societal point of view, marketing provides the link between a society's material
requirements and its economic patterns of response. This way marketing satisfies these
needs and wants through the development of exchange processes and the building of long-
term relationships.

In the case of non-profit organization marketing, the aim is to deliver a message about the
organization's services to the applicable audience. Governments often employ marketing to
communicate messages with a social purpose, such as a public health or safety message, to
citizens

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 FACTORS OF INFLUENCE ON MARKETING STRATEGIES:

In addition to the controllable marketing mix factors, there are uncontrollable factors called
environmental forces. The external influences are the forces that affect the characteristics of
the marketing strategies to which marketers adapt. Amongst others they include: regulatory,
economic, social, political environmental, competitive, and technological.

• Regulatory: This refers to laws and legality (governmental policies) that may affect the way
marketing can be characterized. For example, government restriction on the importation of
a particular product might hinder the marketers playing in that particular field.

• Economic: Various trends in the economic business cycle, including inflation, recessions,
deficit, or income level. Each of these factors can have a direct impact on marketing which
may have to be re-evaluated and overhauled as a result.

• Social: The social forces refer to the structure and dynamics of individuals and groups and
their behaviours, beliefs, thought patterns, and lifestyles, friendships, etc. When consumers
change their needs and wants, this directly affects marketing strategies.

• Political: The socio-economic conditions are closely related to the state of the governmental
institutions. Depending on the governmental impact on bureaucracy, corruption, freedom of
speech, and other limitations (or opportunities), the marketing strategies will adapt to the
political conditions.

• Competitive: Competition refers to the numbers of similar competitive product brands. A

new competitor entering the market will directly affect the marketing strategies of the
incumbent companies. Firms offering similar services or products often achieve
differentiation through marketing, positioning, and branding.

• Technological: The marketing strategies often adapt to the pace of development of the
consumer demand and exponential technological progression.

3.6.1 MARKETING MANAGENET: Marketing management is the organizational discipline

which focuses on the practical application of marketing orientation, techniques and methods
inside enterprises and organizations and on the management of a firm's marketing resources
and activities.

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Globalization has led some firms to market beyond the borders of their home countries,
making international marketing a part of those firms' marketing strategy. Marketing
managers are often responsible for influencing the level, timing, and composition of customer
demand. In part, this is because the role of a marketing manager (or sometimes called
managing marketer in small and medium-sized enterprises) can vary significantly based on a
business's size, corporate culture, and industry context.

For example, in a small- and medium-sized enterprises, the managing marketer may
contribute in both managerial and marketing operations roles for the company brands. In a
large consumer products company, the marketing manager may act as the overall general
manager of his or her assigned product. To create an effective, cost-efficient marketing
management strategy, firms must possess a detailed, objective understanding of their own
business and the market in which they operate. In analysing these issues, the discipline of
marketing management often overlaps with the related discipline of strategic planning.

Two customer segments are often selected as targets because they score highly on two
dimensions:

1. The segment is attractive to serve because it is large, growing, makes frequent purchases,
is not price sensitive (i.e. is willing to pay high prices), or other factors; and

2. The company has the resources and capabilities to compete for the segment's business,
can meet their needs better than the competition, and can do so profitably. A commonly cited
definition of marketing is simply "meeting needs profitably"

The implication of selecting target segments is that the business will subsequently allocate
more resources to acquire and retain customers in the target segment(s) than it will for other,
non-targeted customers. In some cases, the firm may go so far as to turn away customers
who are not in its target segment. The doorman at a swanky nightclub, for example, may deny
entry to unfashionably dressed individuals because the business has made a strategic decision
to target the "high fashion" segment of nightclub patrons. In conjunction with targeting
decisions, marketing managers will identify the desired positioning they want the company,
product, or brand to occupy in the target customer's mind. This positioning is often an
encapsulation of a key benefit the company's product or service offers that
is differentiated and superior to the benefits offered by competitive products.

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For example, Volvo has traditionally positioned its products in the automobile market in
North America in order to be perceived as the leader in "safety", whereas BMW has
traditionally positioned its brand to be perceived as the leader in "performance".

IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING

The Marketing Metrics Continuum provides a framework for how to categorize metrics from
the tactical to strategic. If the company has obtained an adequate understanding of the
customer base and its own competitive position in the industry, marketing managers are able
to make their own key strategic decisions and develop a marketing strategy designed to
maximize the revenues and profits of the firm. The selected strategy may aim for any of a
variety of specific objectives, including optimizing short-term unit margins, revenue
growth, market share, long-term profitability, or other goals. After the firm's strategic
objectives have been identified, the target market selected, and the desired positioning for
the company, product or brand has been determined, marketing managers focus on how to
best implement the chosen strategy. Traditionally, this has involved implementation planning
across the "4 Ps" of: product management, pricing (at what price slot does a producer position
a product, e.g. low, medium or high price), place (the place or area where the products are
going to be sold, which could be local, regional, countrywide or international) (i.e. sales
and distribution channels), and Promotion.

Taken together, the company's implementation choices across the 4 Ps are often described
as the marketing mix, meaning the mix of elements the business will employ to "go to market"
and execute the marketing strategy. The overall goal for the marketing mix is to consistently

20
deliver a compelling value proposition that reinforces the firm's chosen positioning, builds
customer loyalty and brand equity among target customers, and achieves the firm's
marketing and financial objectives.

In many cases, marketing management will develop a marketing plan to specify how the
company will execute the chosen strategy and achieve the business' objectives. The content
of marketing plans varies from firm to firm, but commonly includes:

AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Situation analysis to summarize facts and insights gained from market research and
marketing analysis.

The company's mission statement or long-term strategic vision. A statement of the

company's key objectives, often subdivided into marketing objectives and financial
objectives. The marketing strategy the business has chosen, specifying the target segments
to be pursued and the competitive positioning to be achieved Implementation choices for
each element of the marketing mix (the 4 Ps)

MARKETING ENVIRONMENT:

Staying ahead of the consumer is an important part of a marketer's job. It is important to

understand the "marketing environment" in order to comprehend the consumers concerns,
motivations and to adjust the product according to the consumer’s needs. Marketers use the
process of marketing environmental scans, which continually acquires information on events
occurring outside the organization to identify trends, opportunities and threats to a business.
The six key elements of a marketing scan are the demographic forces, socio-cultural
forces, economic forces, regulatory forces, competitive forces, and technological forces.
Marketers must look at where the threats and opportunities stem from in the world around
the consumer to maintain a productive and profitable business.

The market environment is a marketing term and refers to factors and forces that affect a
firm's ability to build and maintain successful relationships with customers. Three levels of
the environment are: Micro (internal) environment - forces within the company that affect its
ability to serve its customers. Meso environment – the industry in which a company operates

21
and the industry's market(s). Macro (national) environment - larger societal forces that affect
the microenvironment.

MARKETING RESEARCH:

Marketing research involves conducting research to support marketing activities, and the
statistical interpretation of data into information. This information is then used by managers
to plan marketing activities, gauge the nature of a firm's marketing environment and obtain
information from suppliers. Marketing researchers use statistical methods such
as quantitativeresearch, qualitativeresearch, hypothesistests, Chi-squaredtests, linear-
regression, correlations, frequency distributions, Poisson distributions, binomial
distributions, etc. to interpret their findings, and convert data into information. The
marketing research process spans a number of stages, including the definition of a problem,
development of a research plan, collection and interpretation of data, and disseminating
information formally in the form of a report. The task of marketing research is to provide
management with relevant, accurate, reliable, valid, and current information.

A distinction should be made between marketing research and market research. Market
research pertains to research in a given market. As an example, a firm may conduct research
in a target market, after selecting a suitable market segment. In contrast, marketing research
relates to all research conducted within marketing. Thus, market research is a subset of
marketing research.

MARKETING EFFECTIVENESS:

Marketing effectiveness is the measure of how effective a given marketer's go to

market strategy is toward meeting the goal of maximizing their spending to achieve positive
results in both the short- and long-term. It is also related to Marketing ROI and Return on
Marketing Investment (ROMI).

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 FACTORS DRIVING MARKETING EFFECTIVENESS

Corporate: Each company operates within different bounds. These are determined by their
size, their budget and their ability to make organizes act in similar ways leading to the need
to segment them. Based on these segments, they make choices based on how they value the
attributes of a product and the brand, in return for price paid for the product. Consumers
build brand value through information. Information is received through many sources, such
as, advertising, word-of-mouth and in the (distribution) channel often characterized with
the purchase funnel, a McKinsey & Company concept. Lastly, consumers consume and make
purchase decisions in certain ways.

Exogenous Factors: External factors such as weather, interest rates, government regulations,
etc. that lie outside of marketers' immediate control and may impact marketing effectiveness.
Understanding the impact these factors have on consumers can help in designing programs
that take advantage or mitigate the risk of these factors and the impact they may have on a
marketing campaigns. Therefore, exogenous factors often times influence how marketers
strive to improve their results such as leveraging the factors noted above (i.e. seasonality,
interest rates, regulatory environment) in an effort to improve marketing effectiveness.

Marketing Strategy: Improving marketing effectiveness can be achieved by employing a

superior marketing strategy. By positioning the product or brand correctly, the product/brand
will be more successful in the market than competitors’ products/brands. The match-up
between the product, the consumer lifestyle, and the endorser is important for effectiveness
of brand communication. Even with the best strategy, marketers must execute their programs
properly to achieve extraordinary results.

Marketing Creative: Even without a change in strategy, better creatives can improve results.
Without a change in strategy, AFLAC was able to achieve stunning results with its introduction
of the Duck (AFLAC) campaign. With the introduction of this new creative concept, the
company growth rate soared from 12% prior to the campaign to 28% following it. (See
references below, Bang). Creatives are an integral part of any marketing campaign, as it
establishes the corporate identity and plays a significant role in brand recollection. These may
include designing point of purchase displays, brochures or even product packaging. Apart
from communicating the brand, consistency in design across various mediums helps reinforce

23
a specific offering in the minds of the audience. Using typography, imagery and colour,
marketing creatives evoke emotion related to a brand.

Marketing Execution: By improving how marketers go to market, they can achieve

significantly greater results without changing their strategy or their creative execution. At the
marketing mix level, marketers can improve their execution by making small changes in any
or all of the 4-Ps (Product, Price, Place and Promotion) (Marketing) without making changes
to the strategic position or the creative execution marketers can improve their effectiveness
and deliver increased revenue. At the program level marketers can improve their
effectiveness by managing and executing each of their marketing campaigns better. It's
commonly known that consistency of a Marketing Creative strategy across various media (e.g.
TV, Radio, Print and Online), not just within each individual media message, can amplify and
enhance impact of the overall marketing campaign effort. Additional examples would be
improving direct mail through a better call-to-action or editing web site content to improve
its organic search results, marketers can improve their marketing effectiveness for each type
of program. A growing area of interest within (Marketing Strategy) and Execution are the
more recent interaction dynamics of traditional marketing (e.g. TV or Events) with online
consumer activity (e.g. Social Media). (See references below, Brand Ecosystems) Not only
direct product experience, but also any stimulus provided by traditional marketing, can
become a catalyst for a consumer brand "groundswell" online as outlined in the
book Groundswell.

Marketing Infrastructure (also known as Marketing Management): Improving the business

of marketing can lead to significant gains for the company. Management of agencies,
budgeting, motivation and coordination of marketing activities can lead to improved
competitiveness and improved results. The overall accountability for brand leadership and
business results is often reflected in an organization under a title within a (Brand
management) department.

24
 HISTROY OF TELECOM INDUSTRY:

The beginning A microwave tower for short distance (~50 km) communication

The history of Indian telecom can be started with the introduction of Telegraph. The Indian
postal and telecom sectors are one of the world’s oldest. In 1850, the first experimental
electric telegraph line was started between Calcutta and Diamond harbour. In 1851, it was
opened for the use of the British East India company. The Posts and Telegraphs department
occupied a small corner of the Public Works Department, at that time.

The construction of 4,000 miles (6,400km) of telegraph lines was started in November 1853.
north; agra, Mumbai (then Bombay) through Sindhu Ghats, and Chennai (then Madras) in the
south; oota camund and, William O’Shaughnessy, who pioneered the Telegraph and
telephone in India, belonged to the Public Works Department, and worked towards the
development of telecom throughout this period. A separate department was opened in 1854
when telegraph facilities were opened to the public.

Pre-1902 – Cable telegraph. 1902 – First wireless telegraph station established between
Sagar Island and Sand head. 1907 – First Central Battery of telephones introduced in Kanpur.
1913–1914 – First Automatic Exchange installed in Shimla. 1927 – Radio-telegraph system
between the UK and India, with Imperial Wireless Chain beam stations at Khadki and Daund.

25
Inaugurated by Lord Irwin on 23 July by exchanging greetings with King George V. 1933
– Radiotelephone system inaugurated between the UK and India. 1953 – 12 channel carrier
system introduced 1960 – First subscriber trunk dealing route commissioned
between Lucknow and Kanpur. 1975 – First PCM system commissioned
between Mumbai City and Andheri telephone exchanges. 1976 –
First digital microwave junction. 1979 – First optical fibre system for local junction
commissioned at Pune. 1980 – First satellite earth station for domestic communications
established at Sikandarabad, U.P. 1983 – First analogue Stored Programme Control exchange
for trunk lines commissioned at Mumbai. 1984 – C-DOT established for indigenous
development and production of digital exchanges. 1995 – First mobile telephone service
started on non-commercial basis on 15 August 1995 – Internet Introduced in India starting
with Laxmi Nagar, Delhi 15 August 1995 Development of Broadcasting: Radio broadcasting
was initiated in 1927 but became state responsibility only in 1930. In 1937 it was given the
name All India Radio and since 1957 it has been called Akashvani. Limited duration of
television programming began in 1959, and complete broadcasting followed in 1965.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting owned and maintained the Audio visual
apparatus including the television channel Doordarshanin the country prior to the economic
reforms of 1991. In 1997, an autonomous body was established in the name of Prasar
Bharti to take care of the public service broadcasting under the Prasar Bharti Act. All India
Radio and Doordarshan, which earlier were working as media units under the Ministry of I&B
became constituents of the body.

PRE-LIBERALIZATION STATISTICS:

While all the major cities and towns in the country were linked with telephones during
the British period, the total number of telephones in 1948 numbered only around 80,000.
Post-independence, growth remained slow because the telephone was seen more as a status
symbol rather than being an instrument of utility. The number of telephones grew leisurely
to 980,000 in1971, 2.15 million in 1981 and 5.07 million in 1991, the year economic reforms
were initiated in TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY PROFILE

Telecom is one of the fastest-growing industries in India. Today India stands as the second-
largest telecommunications market in the world. The mobile phone industry in India would
contribute US$ 400 billion in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) of the country in

26
2014. This sector which is growing exponentially is expected to generate about 4.1 million
additional jobs by 2020, as per Group Special Mobile Association (GSMA).

In the period April 2000 to January 2014, the telecom industry has got in foreign direct
investments (FDI) of about US$ 59,796 million, which is an increase of 6 per cent to the total
FDI inflows in terms of US$, as per report published by Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion (DIPP). India’s global system for mobile (GSM) operators had 4.14 million rural
subscribers as of January 2014, bringing the total to 285.35 million. Data traffic powered by
third generation (3G) services grew at 146 per cent in India during 2013, higher than the global
average that saw usage double, according to an MBIT Index study by Nokia Siemens Networks
(NSN). India's Smartphone market grew by 171 per cent in 2013, to 44 million devices from
16.2 million in 2012, as per research firm IDC India. The increasing popularity of bring-your-
own-device (BYOD) in the workplace is further adding momentum to the Smartphone market.
Indian telecom industry has grown from a Tele-density of 3.58% in March 2001 to 74% in June
2013. This great leap in both numbers of consumers as well as revenues from telecom services
has not only provided sufficient contribution in Indian GDP growth but also provided much
needed employment to India youth.

Broadly telecom industry can be divided into two sectors, Equipment Sector and Services
Sector. Equipment sector players manufacture telecom products whereas the services sector
comprises of operators and other service providers

SECTORS IN TELECOM INDUSTRY:

Broadly telecom industry can be divided into two sectors, Equipment Sector and Services
Sector. Equipment sector players manufacture telecom products whereas the services sector
comprises of operators and other service providers

TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT SECTOR:

The telecommunications industry equipment sector is comprised of companies that

manufacture products that are used by both end users and input to other
telecommunications companies. Customers use these products to access
telecommunications services. Other telecommunications companies use these products to
create and maintain infrastructure and deliver services.

27
1) Telephony: The telephony segment is dominated by private-sector and two state-run
businesses. Most companies were formed by a recent revolution and restructuring launched
within a decade, directed by Ministry of Communications and IT, Department of
Telecommunications and Minister of Finance. Since then, most companies
gained 2G, 3G and 4G licenses and engaged fixed-line, mobile and internet business in India.
On landlines, intra-circle calls are considered local calls while inter-circle are considered long
distance calls. For international calls, "00" must be dialled first followed by the country
code, area code and local phone number. The country code for India is 91. Several
international fibre-optic links include those to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and
Germany. Some major telecom operators in India include Airtel, Vodafone, Idea, Airtel, BSNL,
MTNL, Reliance Communications, TATA Teleservices, MTS, Telenor, TATA DoCoMo, and
Videocon.

2) Fixed Telephony: Until the new telecom policy was announced in 1999, only the
government owned BSNL and MTNL were allowed to provide land-line phone services
through copper wire in India with MTNL operating in Delhi and Mumbai and BSNL servicing
all other areas of the country. Due to the rapid growth of the cellular phone industry in India,
landlines are facing stiff competition from cellular operators. This has forced land-line service
providers to become more efficient and improve their quality of service. Land-line
connections are now also available on demand, even in high density urban areas.

3) Internet: The history of the Internet in India started with launch of services by VSNL on 15
August 1995. There were 161 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offering broadband services in
India as of 31 May 2013. The top five ISPs in terms subscriber base were BSNL (9.96 million),
Bharati Airtel (1.40 million), MTNL (1.09 million), Hathaway (0.36 million) and You Broadband
(0.31 million).

4) Network Neutrality: As of 2015, India had no laws governing net neutrality and there have
been violations of net neutrality principles by some service providers. While the Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) guidelines for the Unified Access Service license promote
net neutrality, they are not enforced. The Information Technology Act, 2000 does not prohibit
companies from throttling their service in accordance with their business interests. In March
2015, the TRAI released a formal consultation paper on Regulatory Framework for Over-the-
top(OTT) services, seeking comments from the public. The consultation paper was criticized

28
for being one sided and having confusing statements. It was condemned by various politicians
and internet users. By 18 April 2015, over 800,000 emails had been sent to TRAI demanding
net neutrality.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES SECTOR:

This sector constitutes of players in telecommunications industry that provides various

services to end customers like telecom service providers, broadband service providers and
intermediaries.

The telecommunications services sector can be divided into following categories:

1) WIRED SERVICES: The wired services subsector offers direct communication services,
including fixed telephone (local and long distance), broadband, and cable network services.
This subsector also builds and maintains the needed fixed-line infrastructure, including land
lines, microwaves, and satellite link-ups. This subsector also includes companies that offer
non-voice communication products, such as telegraph. The largest sector of the
telecommunications industry continues to be made up of wired telecommunications carriers.
Establishments in this sector mainly provide telecommunications services via wires and cables
that connect customers’ premises to central offices maintained by telecommunications
companies. The central offices contain switching equipment that routes content to its final
destination or to another switching centre that determines the most efficient route for the
content to take. These companies also maintain the cable network that connects different
regions of the country as well as foreign countries, and forms the backbone of the industry.
While voice used to be the main type of data transmitted over the wires, wired
telecommunications service now includes the transmission of all types of graphic, video, and
electronic data mainly over the Internet.

2) WIRELESS SERVICES

The wireless services subsector offers services such as cellular mobile phone, paging, satellite,
broadband communication, and wireless public safety services. This subsector operates and
maintains the switching and transmission facilities to provide these services. Companies in
this sector may also supply and maintain the equipment used to receive signals. Wireless
telecommunications carriers, many of which are subsidiaries of the wired carriers, transmit

29
voice, graphics, data, and Internet access through the transmission of signals over networks
of radio towers. The signal is transmitted through an antenna into the wire line network.
Increasing numbers of consumers are choosing to replace their home landline phones with
wireless phones. Other wireless services include beeper and paging services.

3) INTERNET SERVICES: The Internet services subsector offers wired, wireless, and broadband
Internet services, which are provided by telecommunications companies and Internet service
providers, also known as ISPs. Some ISPs also provide extra services, like web hosting or web
page designing. Players in this subsector may build and maintain their own infrastructure and
networks or they may share the infrastructure of other providers.

4) RESELLERS: Resellers of telecommunications services are another sector of the

telecommunications industry. These resellers lease transmission facilities, such as telephone
lines or space on a satellite, from existing telecommunications networks, and then resell the
service to other customers. Other sectors in the industry include message communications
services such as e-mail and facsimile services, satellite telecommunications, and operators of
other communication services ranging from radar stations to radio networks used by taxicab
companies.

5) CABLE AND PROGRAM DISTRIBUTION:

Cable and other program distribution is another sector of the telecommunications industry.
Establishments in this sector provide television and other services on a subscription or fee
basis. These establishments do not include cable networks. Distributors of pay television
services transmit programming through two basic types of systems. Cable systems transmit
programs over fibre optic and coaxial cables. Direct broadcasting satellite (DBS) operators
constitute a growing segment of the pay television industry. DBS operators transmit
programming from orbiting satellites to customers’ receivers. Establishments in the cable and
other program distribution industry generate revenue through subscriptions, providing
Internet access, providing phone service, and advertising sales. They also charge fees for pay-
per-view or video-on-demand programs.

30
6) OTHER BROADBAND SERVICES:

The other broadband services subsector offers other wired or wire line broadband services
and applications that are not covered by the other three subsectors. These include services
such as Internet Protocol television (IPTV), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and Internet
Protocol virtual private network (IP VPN or VPN). - Learn more at www.technofunc.com.Your
online source for free professional tutorials.

INDIAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS VISON & MISSION

VISION: To provide secure, reliable affordable and high quality converged telecommunication
services anytime, anywhere for an accelerated inclusive socio-economic development.
MISSION

1. To develop a robust and secure state-of-the-art telecommunication network providing

seamless coverage with special focus on rural and remote areas for bridging the digital divide
and thereby facilitate socio- economic development. 2. To create an inclusive knowledge
society through proliferation of affordable and high quality broadband services across the
nation. 3. To reposition the mobile device as an instrument of socio-economic empowerment
of citizens. 4.To make India a global hub for telecom equipment manufacturing and a centre
for converged communication services.

MAJOR PLAYERS

1) Airtel (355.39 Million subscribers) Market Share (32.35%) Ownership (Bharti Enterprises
(68%), SingTel (32%)) Business– Telecommunications & satellite TV |Website–www.airtel.in|

31
Bharti Airtel Ltd. is a substantial Indian Multinational Telecommunication Company in India.
Airtel has the highest number of Subscribers in India? Airtel Provide a range of Products
including Digital television and Fixed Line Broadband. Airtel has many Retail Outlets and a
good quality high end network across India. Airtel has been awarded for one of the most
valuable brand in 2015.

Founded:1995

Type: Public Company

Industry: Telecommunications

Services: Mobile Telephony, Broadband, Digital Television.

Key People: Sunil Bharti Mittal, Gopal Vittal

Headquarter: New Delhi Products offered by company includes mobile commerce, 2G, 3G
and 4G wireless services, fixed line services, IPTV, high speed DSL broadband, DTH and
enterprise services.

2) Reliance (114.81Million subscribers) Market Share (11.21%) Ownership (Reliance

ADAG (67%) Public (26%)) Corporate office– Navy Mumbai, Maharashtra | Establishment –
2004 | Business – Mobile, Satellite TV and telecommunication | Website – www.rcom.co.in |

Reliance Communications is managed by Reliance group which has its other subsidiary as
Reliance Big TV Ltd, Reliance Global.com Ltd, Reliance Entertainment, etc.

32
Founded: 2002 Type: Public Company Industry: Telecom Services: Mobile Telephony,
Broadband Services. Key People: Anil Ambani, Vinod Sawhny. Headquarter: Mumbai

The Company’s product offerings include wireless, broadband, national and international long
distance services.

3) Vodafone (196.7Million subscribers) Market Share (25.59%) Ownership (Vodafone Group

(100%)) Corporate office– London, United Kingdom | Establishment – 1991 | Business –
Telecommunications | Website – www.vodafone.in |

Vodafone is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in over 30

countries. Head quartered in London, the company ranks amongst the top 4 telecom
companies globally in terms of subscribers and revenues. Company owns 45% of Verizon
Wireless, the largest mobile telecom company in the US measured by subscribers.

Founded: 2008 Type: Joint Venture Industry: Telecommunication Services: Mobile Network,
Wireless Broadband. Key People: Cyrus Pallonji Mistry Headquarter: New Delhi

4) Idea (174.6Million subscribers) Market Share (22.72%) Ownership (Aditya Birla Group
(100%)) Corporate office– Mumbai, Maharashtra |Establishment– 1995 | Business
Telecommunications |Website–www.ideacellular.com]

33
Idea Cellular which is commonly known as Idea is an Indian Foremost Telecom Service
Provider in India. Idea is familiar for its reasonable Mobile Telephony Services and also offers
2G and 3G Mobile Internet services. Idea also manufactures Smart phones which are easily
available in Offline as well as Online Marketplaces. Idea holds a strong network of sales and
services and retail outlets across India. Founded: 1995 Type: Public Company
Industry: Telecom Services

5) MTNL (3.6 Million subscribers) Market Share (0.36%) Ownership (State-owned) Corporate
office– New Delhi |Establishment– 1986 | Business– Telecommunications |Website–
www.mtnl.net.in|

Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited is an Indian state-owned telecommunications

company. MTNL provides services in New Delhi and Mumbai in India and Mauritius in Africa.
CEO: Previn Kumar Purwar

34
6) BSNL (85.29 Million subscribers) Market Share (8.19%) Ownership (State-owned)
Corporate office– New Delhi |Establishment– 2000 | Business– Telecommunications
|Website–www.bsnl.co.in|

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited or commonly known as BSNL is an Indian Telecom Company
which provides Voice and Data services in India. BSNL Provides its Services in each and every
place in India except the Densely Populated City Mumbai and Delhi. BSNL is Operated by
Government of India and is the only Government Owned Telecom Operator in India rather
than MTNL which was earlier present before the establishment of BSNL. Founded: 2000
Type: State-Owned Entity Industry: Telecommunications Services: Mobile Telephony, Data
Services. Key People: Anupam Srivastava Headquarter: New Delhi

DOT PROFILE:

The telecom services have been recognized the world-over as an important tool for socio
economic development for a nation and hence telecom infrastructure is treated as a crucial
factor to realize the socio-economic objectives in India. Accordingly, the

35
Telecom Commission: The Telecom Commission was set up by the Government of India vide
Notification dated 11th April, 1989 with administrative and financial powers of the
Government of India to deal with various aspects of Telecommunications. The Commission
consists of a Chairman, four full time members, who are ex-officio Secretary to the
Government of India in the Department of Telecommunications and four-part time members
who are the Secretaries to the Government of India of the concerned Departments. The
composition of the Commission is as follows: -

Designation Name Chairman Shri K. Rajaraman Member(Finance) Shri Dilip Padhye

Member(Production) Vacant Member(Services) Shri Ashok Kumar Mittal
Member(Technology) Shri A K Tiwari The part time Members of Telecom Commission are

1. Secretary (Department of Information Technology)

2. Secretary (Finance)

3. Secretary (Planning Commission) and

4. Secretary (Industrial Policy Promotion).

The Telecom Commission and the Department of Telecommunications are responsible for
policy formulation, licensing, wireless spectrum management, administrative monitoring of
PSUs, research and development and standardization/validation of equipment etc. The multi-
pronged strategies followed by the Telecom Commission have not only transformed the very
structure of this sector but have motivated all the partners to contribute in accelerating the
growth of the sector.

36
TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India)

Abbreviation TRAI

Formation1997

Legal status Created by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997

Purpose Independent regulator

Headquarters New Delhi, India

Region served India

Key people D.R P. D V AGHELA (Chairman), A.K. Kaushal (ITS Member), Dr Vijayalakshmy K.
Gupta (Member)

37
THE TELECOM REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF INDIA ACT, 1997

The main objective of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997 (TRAI Act) was to
establish the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and Telecom Dispute Settlement
Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). The main purpose of these two institutions established under the
TRAI Act is to regulate telecommunication services, adjudicate disputes, dispose appeals and
protect the interest of the service providers as well as the consumers. The Act also aims at
promoting and ensuring orderly growth of the telecom sector.

AMENDMENT TO THE TRAI ACT The TRAI Act was amended through the TRAI (Amendment)
Act, 2000 (“Amendment Act”). Before the amendment, TRAI exercised both regulatory and
dispute resolution functions. The Amendment Act established the Telecom Dispute
Settlement Appellate Tribunal to solely deal with relevant disputes. There was ambiguity in
the Act as to whether TRAI recommendations are binding upon the Government; this was
clarified by the Amendment Act.

INDEPENDENT TELECOM REGULATORY AUTHORITY: In Delhi Science Forum v. Union of

India, the Supreme Court while deciding on the constitutionality of the National Telecom
Policy, 1994 observed that it is necessary that the telecom regulator should be an
independent body. National Telecom Policy, 1994 allowed for private participation in the
telecommunication sector, and in the light of this policy change the Supreme Court also
emphasized on the necessity of an independent statutory authority in a deregulated and
competitive telecom market.

GOVERNMENT CONTROL OVER TRAI: TRAI is not a completely independent telecom

regulator. The Government exercises certain amount of control over TRAI. Under section 25

38
of the Act it has the power to issue directions which are binding on TRAI. The TRAI is also
funded by the Central Government. Moreover, under section 35 of the TRAI Act, the Central
Government has the power to make rules on various subjects and such rules are binding upon
TRAI. Therefore, TRAI is not a completely independent telecom regulator as envisioned by the
Supreme Court.

SCHEME OF THE TRAI ACT

The TRAI Act contains six chapters. Chapter 1 deals with applicability of the Act, key concepts
and definitions. Chapter 2 contains provisions for constitution of the TRAI. Chapter 3 deals
with the powers and functions of TRAI. Chapter 4 deals with establishment of appellate
tribunal, TDSAT and the procedure of the appellate tribunal. Chapter V deals with finance,
accounts and audit of the two institutions established under the Act. Chapter 6 consists of
miscellaneous provisions for the purpose of smooth functioning of the two institutions
created under the Act. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was established as a
corporation under Section 3 of the Act. The head office of TRAI is in New Delhi. TRAI
constitutes of a chairperson and less than two, full time and part-time members. The
chairperson and the members of TRAI are appointed by the Central Government and the
duration for which they can hold their office is three years or until they attain the age of 65
years, whichever is earlier. The persons who are appointed should have special knowledge
and prior experience in the field of telecommunication, industry, finance, accountancy, law,
management or consumer affairs. If someone, who has been in the service of the Government
prior to appointment then he should have served the Government in the capacity of a
Secretary or Additional Secretary for a period more than three years.

Section 8 deals with procedure to be followed with respect to meetings of TRAI. All questions
before TRAI will be decided by a majority vote of the members, present and voting. The
person who is presiding the meeting will entitle to a second or casting vote.

The TRAI may also appoint officers and employees in order to carry out its function under this
Act. Currently the officers and employees of TRAI are divided into nine divisions.

39
The divisions are:

Mobile network division, Fixed network division, Converged network division, Quality of
service division, Broadcast and cable services division, Economic division, Financial analysis,
internal finance and accounts division, Legal division, Administration and personnel division.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF TRAI:

1. Making recommendations on various issues; 2. General administrative and regulatory

functions; 3. Fixing tariffs and rates for telecom services and 4. Any other functions
entrusted by the Central Government.

40
THE FUNCTIONS OF THE TRAI ARE:

The recommendations made by the TRAI are not binding on the Central Government.
However, the Central Government has to mandatorily ask for recommendations from TRAI
with respect to need and timing of new service provider and terms and conditions of the
license to be granted to the service provider. TRAI has the obligation to forward the
recommendation to the Central Government within 60 days from the date of the request for
recommendation. TRAI may also request for relevant information or documents from the
Central Government to make such recommendations and the Central Government has to
furnish such information within seven days from the date of the request.

The Central Government can issue license to the service provider, if TRAI fails to give any
recommendation within the stipulated period. Where the Central Government is of the
opinion that the recommendations made by TRAI cannot be accepted or need modification,
then it can send them back to TRAI for reconsideration. TRAI may reply within a period of 15
days from the date of reference. TRAI also has the power to notify in the official gazette the
rates at which telecommunication services are being provided in and outside India. TRAI shall
ensure transparency while exercising its powers and discharging its functions. TRAI under
section 12 has the power to call for information and conduct investigation. It also has got
powers to issue directions under section.

TELECOM DISPUTES SETTLEMENT APPELLATE TRIBUNAL The Telecom Dispute Settlement

Appellate Tribunal (Tribunal) is established under section 14 of the Act. It is the sole dispute
resolution body in the communication sector. It can adjudicate upon any disputebetween:

1. Licensor (Central Government) and a licensee. 2. Two or more service providers. 3. Between
a service provider and a group of consumers.

However, the Tribunal does not have any jurisdiction to try any matter which deals with
anticompetitive trade practices or any consumer complaint.

41
CHAPTER 4

4.1 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

1) Which mobile network do you use?

Networks No. of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

BSNL 8 13.3%

Airtel 22 36.7%

Others 30 50%

Total 60 100%

Source: primary data

EXIHIBIT-1:

BSNL Airtel Others

10

15

20

25

30

35

Networks

percentage

INTERPRETATION: It was inferred from above graph 13.3% people are using the BSNL mobile
network & 36.7% people are using the Airtel network and 50% people are using the other

42
networks. By the observation BSNL network should improve providing network compared to
other networks.

2) What kind of subscription do you have?

Subscribers No, of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Pre-paid 45 75%

Post-paid 15 25%

Total 60 100%

Source: primary data

EXIHIBIT-2:

INTERPRETATION:

It was inferred from above graph, the pre-paid subscribers are 75% and post-paid subscribers
are 25%.

Pre-paid Post-paid

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

SUBSCRIBERS

percentage

3) How many mobile networks do you use at a time?

Mobile Networks No. of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

1 32 53.3%

2 21 35%

3 3 5%

More than3 4 6.7%

Total 60 100%

43
Source: primary data

EXIHIBIT-3:

1 2 3 More than 3

10

15

20

25

30

35

Mobile Networks

percentage

INTERPRETATION: It was inferred from above graph 53.3% people are using one mobile
network at a time, 35% people are using two mobile networks at a time,5% people are using
three mobile networks at a time and 6.7% people are using more than3 mobile networks at a
time.

4) How long have you been using this network service?

Time Period No. of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

0-1 month 2 3.4%

1-6 months 4 6.6%

6-12 months 18 30%

12 months & more 36 60%

Total 60 100%

44
Source: primary data

EXIHIBIT-4:

0-1 Month 1-6 Months 6-12

Months

12 months

&more

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Time Period

Percentage

INTERPRETATION: It was inferred from above graph that 3.4%people are using the network
service from the periods of 0-1 month ,6.6% people are using this network service from the
period of 1-6 months,30%people are using this network service from the period of 6-12
months & 60% people are using this network service from the period of 12 months & more.

45
5) Are you satisfied with BSNL services?

Services No. of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Satisfied 31 51.7%

Dissatisfied 22 36.7%

Highly satisfied 3 5%

Highly dissatisfied 4 6.6%

Total 60 100%

Source: primary data

EXIHIBIT-5:

Satisfied Dissatisfied Highly

satisfied

Highly

dissatisfied

10

15

20

25

30

35

Services

Percentage

46
INTERPRETATION: It was inferred from above graph that 6.6% of customers are highly
dissatisfied, 5% of customers are highly satisfied, 36.7% of customers are dissatisfied and
51.7% of customers are satisfied, so most of the customers are satisfied with BSNL services.

6) Do you want to continue with BSNL network?

Opinion No. of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Yes 15 25%

No 21 35%

Not sure 24 40%

Total 60 100%

Source: primary data

EXIHIBIT-6:

Yes, No Not sure

10

15

20

25

30

Opinion

Percentage

INTERPRETATION: It was inferred from above graph that, 40% of customers are not sure, 35%
of customers are don’t want to continue further and only 25% of customers want to continue
with BSNL network.

47
7) How would you rate your overall satisfaction with BSNL?

Customer Satisfaction No. of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Excellent 5 8.3%

Satisfactory 11 18.3%

Good 24 40%

poor 20 33.4%

Total 60 100% Source: primary data

EXIHIBIT-7:

Excellent Satisfactory Good Poor

10

15

20

25

30

Customer Satisfaction

Percentage

INTERPRETATION: It was inferred from above graph that, 8.3% of customers are responded
and voted for excellent. According to this survey I think further we have to provide more high
quality service to the customers to get best response from the customers than now.

48
8) How would you rate the signal quality of BSNL?

Signal Quality No. of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Excellent 5 8.3%

Satisfactory 18 30%

Good 25 41.7%

poor 12 20%

Total 60 100%

Source: primary data

EXIHIBIT-8:

Excellent Satisfactory Good Poor

10

15

20

25

30

Signal Quality

Percentage

INTERPRETATION: It was inferred from above graph that, 20% think that poor signal, 41.7%
think good, 30% are satisfactory and 8.3% think excellent, so most of the customers think
signal quality of BSNL is good.

49
(9) Which of the following services do you use in BSNL?

Services No. of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Mobile 24 40%

Internet 9 15%

Landline 13 21.7%

All the three 4 6.6%

Other 10 16.7%

Total 60 100%

Source: primary data

EXIHIBIT-9:

Mobile Internet Landline All the three

Other

10

15

20

25

30

Services

Percentage

INTERPRETATION: It was inferred from above graph that; customers are interested to use
BSNL for mobile service.

50
10) How would you rate the tariff plans provided by BSNL as compare to others?

Tariff Plans No. of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Good 16 26.6%

Average 22 36.6%

Satisfactory 17 28.4%

Excellent 5 8.4%

Total 60 100%

Source: primary data

EXIHIBIT-10:

Good Average Satisfactory Excellent

10

15

20

25

Tariff Plans

Percentage

INTERPRETATION: It was inferred from above graph that, 26.6% think good, 36.6% think
average, 28.4% think satisfactory and 8.4% think excellent. From the above responds BSNL
tariff plans are average when compare to others.

51
11) Which one is the largest network in the service provider?

Network Providers No. of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

BSNL 18 30%

Airtel 26 43.4%

Reliance 2 3.3%

Idea 12 20%

Other 2 3.3%

Total 60 100%

Source: primary data

EXIHIBIT-11:

BSNL Airtel Reliance Idea Others

10

15

20

25

30

Network Providers

Percentage

INTERPRETATION: It was inferred from above graph that, Airtel is the largest provider in
service with 43.4% when compared with others like BSNL 30%, Reliance 3.3%, Idea 20% and
others 3.3%.

52
12) Comparatively broadband with other service providers which one is best?

Broadband Service Provider No. of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Reliance 6 10%

Airtel 26 43.4%

Idea 8 13.4%

BSNL 16 26.6%

Others 4 6.6%

Total 60 100%

Source: primary data

EXIHIBIT-12:

Reliance Airtel Idea BSNL Others

10

15

20

25

30

Broadband Service Provider

Percentage

INTERPRETATION: It was inferred from above graph that, Airtel is the best service provider
with 43.4% as compared with others like Reliance with 10%, Idea with 13.4%, BSNL with 26.6%
and others with 6.6%.

53
CHAPTER-5

Conclusion

1. A less majority of respondents (13.3%) are using BSNL network and Airtel respondents are
(36.7%) and (50%) customers switched to other network.

2. A good majority of respondents (75%) are using pre-paid and (25%) using post-paid.

3. Maximum (53.3%)of customers using one mobile network at a time, (35%)of customers are
using two mobile networks at a time, least (5%) of customers are using three mobile networks
at a time & (6.7%) of customers are using more than three networks at a time.

4. (63.4%) customers are comfortable with the call costs of BSNL.

5. A good majority of respondents (40%) are satisfied with the BSNL network & (33.4%)
respondents are not satisfied with the BSNL network.

6. Majority of respondents (51.7%) are satisfied with the BSNL services & (22%) of
respondents are dissatisfied with the BSNL services.

7. 60% of the customers are using BSNL network since more than 1 year.

8. Majority of respondents (31%)are satisfied with the customer care service of BSNL.

9. Compare to other networks call charges of BSNL are medium.

10. Maximum (50%)respondents are aware of the land line and broadband combo scheme.

11. It is observed that compare to other telecom services BSNL (55%) reached to public.

12. It is observed that (80%) of are improvement is required for the marketing activities in
BSNL.

13. It is observed that (50%)of respondents are gave feedback that they do not have opinion
on BSNL.

14. It is observed that (58.3%) respondents are reaches to customer satisfaction.

54
BSNL being a public sector, in order to thrive and excel, have to understand about the
Customers’ expectations. They also have to understand about their competitors and them
nuances in understanding their Customers. Since TELECOM industry is a very competitive one
it is high time for BSNL to understand about their Customers in Landline as well as mobile
services.

SUGGESTIONS:

From the research study, it has been found out that the Customers are very particular about
the Quality of the Telecom services and hence they want BSNL to increase the Quality of BSNL
services by providing the Customers with some Value added services (Plans & schemes).

It seems that audio visual advertising especially new advertises of BSNL on television plays
an important role to come in focus in front of customers, while outdoor adds like on state
transport buses, banners while in case of print advertising in newspapers also shows good
response from customer. So company can strengthen its presence by Focussing on such types
of advertisements.

Basic strength for BSNL is Availability and trust of the customer on the same platform
company should make efforts to be in leadership position because Telecom sector today is
very competitive due to presence of strong players & entry of new players.

Company can also promote performance of Franchisee’s by giving good profit margin on
sale of products & services which will be helpful to increase sale as distributor & retailers are
close to end customer &they are well aware of customer’s requirements & expectations.

By conducting a customer survey it’s easy to overcome the drawbacks and we can improve
customer requirements.

55
 BIBILOGRAPHY:

WEBSITES:

https://www.bsnl.co.in/

https://www.trai.gov.in/

https://www.businessinsider.in/

https://www.india.gov.in/

https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/

56
 BIO DATA

NAME: SANJANA YADAV

DOB: 29-07-2003

FATHER NAME: K. MAHESH KUMAR YADAV

MOTHER NAME: K.LAVANYA YADAV

SIBLINGS: - 2 YOUNGER BROTHERS

CONTACT NO : 7330822643

EMAIL ID : sanjanayadav2973@gmail.com

ADDRESS: 16-9-831/13/A, SAROJINI NAGAR COLONY, OLD MALAKEPT , HYDERABAD.

57
 BIO DATA

NAME: GOGULA PAVAN

DOB: 17-12-2003

FATHER NAME: GOGULA MAHESH

MOTHER NAME: GOGULA UJWALA

SIBLINGS: 1 ELDER BROTHER

CONTACT NO.: 9346005626

EMAIL ID: pavansadaerr123@gmail.com

ADDRESS: MIG OG BLOCK-3,FLAT-4, BAGHLINGAMPALLY, HYDERABAD.

58
 BIO DATA

NAME: D. NAVYA SRI

DOB: 07-11-2002

FATHER NAME: D. LAXMI NARAYANA

MOTHER NAME: D. KRISHNA VENI

SIBLINGS: 1YOUNGER SISTER

CONTACT NO.: 9849291836

EMAIL ID: navyasri072007@gmail.com

ADDRESS: 8-2-682/32/149 NB NAGAR ROAD No-13 BANJARA HILLS HYDERABAD 50034

59
 BIO DATA

NAME: MAYANK TIWARI

DOB: 12-03-2003

60