coai annual report 2009-10

THINK BROADBANDTHINK MOBILE BROADBAND

Annual Report 2009-10Annual Report 2009-10M

TM

www.coai.in

COAI Annual Report 2009-10

Our Vision

To Help, Establish and Sustain World Class

Cellular Infrastructure and Deliver the Benefits

of an Affordable Mobile Communication Service

to the People of India

Cellular Operators Association of India

14, Bhai Veer Singh Marg, New Delhi – 110 001 Tel. : +91-11-23349275 Fax : +91-11-23349276/77

E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.coai.in

www.coai.in


CONTENT

I. CHAIRPERSON’S MESSAGE 1

II. VICE CHAIRPERSON’S MESSAGE 4

III. DIRECTOR GENERAL’S MESSAGE 7

IV. REPORT OF THE ASSOCIATION 10

V. COAI STRUCTURE 18

A. Executive Council for 2009-10 18

B. Working Committees for 2009-10 21

C. Special Projects / Working Groups for 2007 29

D. COAI Secretariat 38

VI. COAI MEMBERS 39

A. COAI Core Members 40

B. COAI Associate Members 50

VII. INDUSTRY STATUS 60

A. GSM Industry Indicators for 2009 60

B. All India GSM Cellular Subscriber Base 60

C. All India GSM Cellular Subscriber Base – Circle Wise 61

D. All India GSM Cellular Subscribers – Net Additions 61

E. All India GSM Cellular Subscribers – Metros 62

F. GSM Rural Subscribers as % to GSM Subscriber Base 62

G. Market Share of GSM Operators 63

H. Teledensity (Total Mobile) 63

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I. Infrastructure Growth (MSC & BSC) 64

J. Infrastructure Growth (BTS & Backbone) 64

K. Average Revenue Per User 65

L. Minutes of Usage Per Subscriber Per Month 65

M. Growth of VAS Revenues (Total Mobile) 66

N. SMS versus Non-SMS VAS (Total Mobile) 66

O. Future Projections (Total Mobile) 67

VIII. INTERNATIONAL TRENDS (Total Mobile) 65

A. Subscriber Base (in millions) 68

B. Subscriber Additions (in millions) 68

C. Wireless Penetration 69

D. Average Revenue Per User 69

E. Average Minutes of Usage Per Subscriber Per Month 70

F. Call Charges Per Minute 70

IX. 3G & BWA AUCTION WINNERS 71

X. THE YEAR GONE BY 73

A. COAI Expanding Its Horizon 73

B. Events of the Year 77

XI. REPORTS/ PAPERS BY COAI 84

XII. SUMMARY OF LEGAL UPDATES 89

XIII. TELECOM CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE 94

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At the outset I would like to begin with thanking all of you for the

honour and faith reposed in me and the support provided during my

tenure as the Chairperson of COAI for 2009-2010. It is indeed been

an honour and privilege to be part of the vibrant Industry and to be

associated with COAI and its many successes.

Today, the Indian Telecom sector is regarded as the fastest growing

in the world with about 15 million subscribers being added every

month. It is expected that we will have close to 900 million voice

subscribers by 2013 and a sizeable penetration of broadband by 2015.

As I look back, I see a sea change and an absolute transformation in the manner that the

industry is viewed today. Indian Mobile Telecommunications is now considered the poster boy

of Reforms and the Liberalization process. It’s use has filtered down almost to the lowest strata

of society and is providing significant / tangible economic and social benefits to the common

man. The benefits of mobile telephony to the Indian populace are also universally

acknowledged and they find place of pride in many case studies to demonstrate how

connectivity can transform an entire economy.

Studies have established that an increase of mobile tele-density by 10% can boost GDP growth

rate by as much as 1.2%. This is a significant contribution which is of great relevance and

important for the Indian citizens. It is also important to note that such benefit is estimated on the

basis of 2G mobile telephony, once India moves towards 3G i.e. mobile broadband, experts

estimate that the benefit in GDP growth rate would be much higher. As such, the national

telecom policy should be drafted recoganising Telecom Industry as a powerful engine for the

socio-economic development of the country. It should also incorporate the notion that the

Telecommunications Industry is not there to raise revenues and close the government budget

gap, but is an industry that needs to be nurtured to ensure the National Development goals are

met through dynamic market forces unleashed by the industry.

The coming years will see more and more emphasis on the penetration in the rural market and

deployment of 3G. With rural tele-density at about 21% as compared to urban tele-density of

I. CHAIRPERSON’S MESSAGE

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110%, the rural consumer is lagging far behind his urban counterpart in respect of availability

and access to world class mobile telephony services. Rural telephony must be a priority

agenda item for the industry. Efforts should be made to leverage and utilize the huge corpus in

the USO fund to achieve rural connectivity objectives in an expeditious and timely manner.

While much has been achieved there is more to be accomplished for and by this dynamic

sector. However, the sector is heavily burdened with Levies and duties, which leaves operators

with inadequate funds for expansion of services. We must renew our efforts and seek a

rationalization of the current tax and levy structure on the sector to bring it in line with

comparable regimes so that affordability of services can be improved further which in turn will

not only encourage increased take up of service but will also improve usage. Further, we should

continue our efforts for seeking a uniform Licence regime as it will go a long way in simplifying

the system and ensuring level playing field.

A proper regulatory & policy environment is a key driver for continued investments, growth and

sustainability of this sector. Today, there is a clear need for a long-term sustainable policy and

regulatory environment which ensures that the industry can continue to invest and grow with

confidence. “Light touch” regulation which fosters growth using the dynamic forces of the

private market places, is the need of the hour and I hope that the regulatory and policy

framework will move in the desired direction in the coming years.

At present spectrum usage charges are applied at an escalating rate where under higher

tranches / allocations of spectrum attract a higher charge and operators become eligible for

additional spectrum only after achieving pre-defined subscriber criteria. The association needs

to continue its efforts to advocate for the introduction of a spectrum policy that is rational and

ensures transparency in spectrum allocation, pricing and usage. It is also important that India

should be in alignment with globally harmonized bands and interference free co-existence

should be the key principles in spectrum management.

The availability and deployment of the telecom equipment and infrastructure is a matter of great

concern at this juncture especially when we are rolling in the rural areas and the capacity

demands are bigger than ever. While the concerns of national security are shared by all, it is

important to determine the proper role of communications companies in ensuring national

security. Similarly, Uniform policies should be laid out by the Central Ministry for the optimal

growth of telecom infrastructure in the country, and emphasis should be laid on the coordination

of policies between the Centre, State and local governments so that National Policies are not

frustrated by inappropriate state & local policies and mandates.

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There is no doubt that currently the Indian market is hyper-competitive, with as many as 12-14

operators in each service area as compared to 3-4 operators in other parts of the world. Studies

have shown that the presences of 5 to 6 companies are more than adequate to provide effective

competition. We should work to ensure that appropriate M&A policies are adopted to facilitate

consolidation that promotes efficiency.

Last but not least, I believe that COAI brings with it commonality of purpose and achievement of

common objectives for the growth and protection of this sector. I would once again reiterate that

for the larger benefit of this sector, members should not compromise on the long term interests

of the industry to accommodate a short term interest and the Association should continue to

operate and function in the same spirit of unity as it has in the past.

I would also like to place on record my appreciation and gratitude for Mr. Sanjay Kapoor Vice

Chairperson, members of the association, Mr. T.V.Ramachandran, Mr. T. R.Dua and the

secretariat for providing unstinted support and assistance to me during my tenure and I wish

them good luck for the future, and assure you of my continued support in achieving our common

objectives.

Suneeta Reddy July 5, 2010

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In the words of our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Sri Manmohan Singh, the

telecom sector has a key role to play in country’s economic

development - “The importance of the flow of information for a fast

modernizing economy cannot be over-emphasized. A strong

telecommunications sector promotes social well-being and facilitates

rapid economic development”,

In keeping with this expectation, telecom in India today, connects 15-

20 million customers every month and forming the socio-economic

backbone of the country. As the second largest market across the

globe, we connect the unconnected, bringing them closer to their

aspirations and opportunities.

This growth needs to be sustained. The industry is operating in an environment that is stretched

between a very high tax and levy structure and the lowest mobile tariffs in the world. There is

also hyper competition - as compared with an international average of 3-4 mobile operators,

India has as many as 12 to 14 mobile operators/licensees in every service area. This high-

growth and intensely competitive scenario has clearly placed an added pressure on the market.

The time has come that the licensor and regulator take note and create a regulatory

environment which is conducive and adopt policies which aid future growth and sustainability.

The past year has witnessed various initiatives by the industry that will have long term positive

impact on the growth of the Indian telecom sector. Some of these developments have already

translated into benefits – both for the sector and the consumers. Others, once completed, will

further transform the face of this industry.

The Association has done some commendable work under the aegis of ACT. These include

overseeing and ensuring the implementation of the customer verification processes for the

industry and conducting various regional workshops. This has provided a common platform to

Government, Security Agencies and the industry to work together to meet the common end

objective of National Security. Such initiatives on the part of the industry have been much

appreciated and have resulted in progressive policy initiatives from the Government.

II. VICE CHAIRPERSON’S MESSAGE

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COAI is also working extensively towards educating the public and clearing misconceptions/

myths on the Electro Magnetic Field and health-related issues. The Association was

instrumental in the adoption of International safety standards of International Commission on

Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) for the telecom sector in India and the development

of test procedures for testing compliance with the ICNIRP limits/ guidelines.

Another milestone that we achieved this year was the implementation of a minimal charging for

Agent-assisted general queries received at the Customer Care Centres. Telecom operators had

invested heavily in setting up dedicated customer care centres/ IVR systems and were not able

to recover their costs recover due to the TRAI mandate for Toll Free Services for customer care.

Customer calls for complaints and service requests remain Toll Free.

The Association is also playing a key role in key issues like - the implementation of Mobile

Number Portability, infrastructure related issues, standardization of guidelines for Mobile

Banking, development of vernacular language SMS and use of 700 MHz for availability of

affordable mobile broadband, especially in rural areas.

The year also witnessed the much awaited 3G and BWA auctions, laying the groundwork for

faster internet connectivity and data transfer on mobile phones, boosting usage of data services

in the cellular market. Commencement of 3G would give a major impetus to the growth and

penetration of mobile broadband services in the country and the mobile industry is keen to

deliver on its promise to make affordable broadband services available to the consumers in the

shortest possible time frame.

Going forward, the key challenge before the industry will be the aggressive rollout into rural and

remote areas and successful deployment of 2G and 3G networks. There is an immediate need

to focus on issues related to security clearances, uniform guidelines for the installation of

infrastructure across the country, availability of content for 3G and development of Value Added

Services to enhance the revenue generating stream for the industry.

Another area of focus is the recognition of Telecom as a vital public utility service. It has been

well established and documented that an increase in Tele-density has a direct correlation with

the growth in GDP. Therefore, it is imperative that Telecom should to be recognized and treated

as an important public utility that delivers clear and substantive benefits to the economic growth

of the country and the welfare and wellbeing of its citizens. Going forward, 3G technology would

act as a major catalyst for social and economic empowerment by enhancing social initiatives

such as delivering Tele-Education, Tele-Medicine, etc, increasing productivity and overall quality

of life.

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On behalf of COAI and its members, I would also like to put on record our deep appreciation

and gratitude for the invaluable contributions of Mr. T.V.Ramachandran, who served, nurtured

and built an institution of credibility. I would also like to thank Mr. T.R.Dua, who very ably

handled all responsibilities and activities of the association. I would finally like to extend a warm

welcome to Mr. Rajan S. Mathews - the new Director General of COAI.

I would like to thank Ms. Suneeta Reddy for her leadership and guidance to the Industry; to all

members of the association for their invaluable support and the Secretariat for the hard work put

in by one and all. I am confident that their continued work as a team will contribute to the

furtherance of growth of this sector for the benefit of the customers and stakeholders of this

vibrant industry.

Sanjay Kapoor July 5, 2010

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I am delighted to be a part of COAI and in fact it is a privilege to

be the Director General of such a prominent industry association in India. I am also thrilled to come back and serve

the Indian telecom industry at a time when it is making record

progress and there is no stopping now. It is a great opportunity to

contribute to a market that is looked up to by other developing

countries.

I fondly reminisce about my association with the Indian telecom

industry earlier and that was a particularly challenging time when TRAI had just started up and

DoT was the policy maker, operator and regulator all rolled into one and the process of getting

clearance for cell sites could take up to an year. However, now, the scenario has drastically

changed. It gives me great pleasure to see that a struggling industry then has now transformed

into the 2nd largest wireless network and has made an indelible mark in the global arena.

I can clearly see that the time ahead is going to be full of exciting opportunities. My

endeavour would be to work towards the common goals of the industry and make sure that

COAI as an institution continues to grow and flourish. For me personally, the journey with

COAI will be one of tremendous growth and learning. I have already started focusing on a wide

gamut of industry issues that we had to deal with at COAI. My responsibility will be to integrate

the new entrants with the more mature players and also to balance the interests of different

operators and to try and do what is right for the industry as a whole. I am also looking forward

to interacting with a cross section of professionals across the entire range of the business

spectrum, both from within India as also globally.

However, at the same time there will also be several challenging issues for which we need to take steps in the right direction for their effective resolution. The arrival of 3G & BWA,

rollout of broadband in a truly comprehensive way and promoting the expansion of services in

rural India amidst the lack of basic infrastructure in these areas will be a significant challenge.

Another challenging area is that of sustaining business with such low ARPUs and

simultaneously meeting the security requirements of the nation. It is amazing that the industry is

able to maintain such a fine balance in this area and I would want to take it forward as national

security is of paramount importance for all of us. I am sure with the cooperation of all the

III. DIRECTOR GENERALS’ MESSAGE

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members of COAI we can move forward together and meet these challenges effectively and build on the good work already done by my colleagues in the earlier years. All we need to

have is the courage of our conviction and the resolve to work together and that I believe will be

enough to carry us forward towards success.

My immediate focus areas for the coming year are:

Rural Connectivity: It is expected that the next phase of growth will come from the rural India.

There is a lot of potential in rural areas, which the operators are already exploiting. However,

the aim should be to bring the teledensity level of rural areas at par with the urban areas. Only

when mobile connectivity reaches the unconnected, will its benefits start to flow for them.

Mobile Broadband Penetration: The 3G and BWA auctions have been concluded recently and

the operators would soon be rolling out services. Operators have paid exorbitant amounts to

gain the spectrum for 3G and BWA and now utilizing this spectrum to spread additional services

to the masses at equally affordable prices as mobile telephony, will be a challenge for them.

However, to make India an information society, all of us will have to work towards providing

such services as e-governance, e-education, e-health, mobile banking, etc. to the relevant

sections of the society.

Lowering of Levies and Duties: It is sad to see that the industry which is contributing so much

towards the socio economic development of the country is burdened with such high levies and

duties. It is very important that telecom is seen as an essential service and the levels of levies

and duties on the industry are significantly brought down. No longer should the mobile industry

be viewed as an endless source of revenue to fix Government budget deficits but an essential

national service that is to be nurtured so it can continue to contribute to economic development.

Enhanced Industry Profitability: The recent price wars in the voice segment of our business,

the commoditization of voice services, increasing levies and taxes, mindless competition, some

uneven regulatory policies have all contributed to the deteriorating profitability of our industry. A

“sick industry”, wasted of its financial health, cannot be an engine for national development! I

hope we can move towards a competitive environment which caters to the needs of our

customers, contributes to national development and provides a fair return on investments. I trust

we have the talent and resources to ensure these are not mutually exclusive goals.

Development of an Enlightened regulatory Environment: much of “Convergence”. This has

led to an increasing need for multiple branches of Government to converge in developing

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regulatory policy – e.g., we have seen the IT, Broadcasting, telecommunications, Finance and

Home ministries involved at some time, either individually or together, in mobility issues. This

clearly calls for a new paradigm for Regulation. No longer is it appropriate to have piece meal

regulatory policy but a comprehensive regulatory structure that allows and fosters the dynamic

forces of technology and the market place to drive innovation, value customer choice, economic

development, investor confidence and national priorities.

The journey so far (3 months) at COAI has been very exhilarating. COAI, along with its members has extended a warm welcome to me and I assure them of my fullest co-operation and support in all the matters of the Association. I am delighted to present the Annual Report for the year 2009-2010.

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INTRODUCTION The importance of mobile in everyone’s life has undergone a paradigm shift. Telecom has

evolved as a basic infrastructure like electricity, roads, water etc. and has also emerged as one

of the critical components of economic growth required for overall socio economic development

of the country.

The year 2009-10 has been the year of Broadband with the much awaited 3G & BWA auctions taking place. We now expect that a similar growth as of mobile will be replicated for

mobile broadband too in the years to come. With a clear path of 3G, HSPA, LTE and LTE-Advanced, we expect the GSM family to be the prime driver of mobile broadband penetration in India.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS The GSM industry continued to be on the track for growth and the GSM base as of March 2010 was nearly 422 million with the addition of nearly 10-12 million subscribers per month.

The GSM industry in India today offers low tariffs, high Minutes of Usage (411) and low

Average Revenue Per User (Rs.144).

The GSM service providers are also focusing on rural areas and are extensively rolling out

services in rural and remote areas. By March 2010, private GSM operators were providing

services to over 130 million subscribers in rural areas and this number is increasing by 3-4

million additions every month.

With the vision to expand GSM services to more and more people of the country, the operators who obtained licenses in 2008 are also starting to provide GSM services.

The Industry continued to invest aggressively in the sector and the overall investments by

private GSM operators have resulted in 1,185 MSCs, 4,566 BSCs, 370,685 BTSs, and a backbone network of more than 590,078 kms spread across the country.

IV. REPORT OF THE ASSOCIATION

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INDUSTRY INITIATIVES As in the previous years, COAI and its members continued to work on innovative projects and applications for the benefit of the GSM subscribers. In fact, depending on the demands of

the industry many new projects were also taken up by COAI this year and the entire industry is

working on these to make them successful and benefit all.

Under the aegis of the Apex Advisory Council for Telecom in India (ACT), COAI organized

regional workshops for all four regions of the country which witnessed healthy interaction

amongst all the Workshop participants, from DoT Headquarters, TERM Cells, Security as well

as Law Enforcement Agencies. As an outcome of the various workshops, DoT issued some

favourable guidelines for the industry clarifying many pending issues including outstation

customers, foreign nationals, etc. Through its continuous efforts with the Government, ACT was

able to get an additional list of documents to be accepted as Proof of Identity and Proof of

Address, which have been really helpful for the industry in terms of expanding growth to rural

and remote areas. We believe that these initiatives have saved our members several lakhs in

fines. We expect to continue with these initiatives to further reduce penalties and costs.

Last year a crucial issue of suspension of prepaid services in Jammu & Kashmir came up.

ACT expended significant efforts with DoT and MHA and held various meetings with them to

highlight the inconvenience caused to the citizens of the state. After deliberations with the MHA,

the services were finally resumed with a new set of guidelines to be followed by the operators.

In its endeavour to continuously improve its systems and procedures, under the aegis of ACT,

the entire industry formulated a Common Manual on Prepaid Subscriber Verification, which

is uniformly being followed by the entire industry.

COAI has also been closely working with the DoT/TEC, GSMA for adoption of safety standards for EMF exposure from Mobile Base stations. COAI worked closely with TEC on

Test Procedures for measurement of Electromagnetic Fields from Base station Antenna and

engaged experts from a renowned engineering college (Thiagarajan Engineering College

Madurai) to share their expertise on the test procedures. TEC issued the Test Procedure for

measurement of Electromagnetic field from Base Station Antenna in September 2009.

COAI has also been continuously interacting with media, various Government departments and

agencies with a purpose to erase the misconception about the EMF, and its alleged health

effects, and has also been disseminating factual information on RF radiations from Mobile

stations and mobile phones based on scientific evidence and the large studies & research carried out by the International bodies of highest repute, e.g WHO, ICNIRP , ITU , & FDA etc.

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The year 2009-10 also observed many tower related issues in various states of the country.

There have been increasing incidences of State governments, local civic or municipal bodies

laying down impossible stringent criteria for the installation of towers. Such

restrictions/prohibitions result in the creation of ‘dark spots’, resulting in poor quality of service to

the subscribers of cellular mobile service. Under the Infrastructure Committee, COAI along with

AUSPI took up the job of working toward resolution of these issues with the various state

Governments, especially the tower matters in, NOIDA, Delhi, West Bengal, etc. Issues in West

Bengal have been smoothly resolved whereas the other matters are still being dealt with.

COAI members at various occasions expressed a need for a continuous advocacy programme by the association to negate the apprehensions associated with the cellular towers from the

minds of general public/ government agencies / civic bodies and media. Accordingly an advocacy

group was setup to discuss and strategize the road map for the advocacy programme on EMF

and Infrastructure related issues. It is a joint Industry initiative in which AUSPI and the associate

members of COAI are also actively involved. The advocacy group is working towards effectively

engaging with the target audience to create awareness and build positive opinion on concerns

related to EMF exposure from the base stations.

COAI continued to work on an inter-operator UCC complaints resolution portal to ensure

speedy resolution and settlement of inter-operators UCC complaints. The portal includes the

option of uploading both inter operator and intra operator complaints. The portal also includes

the automated process of generating various MIS reports which includes the monthly report to

be submitted to TRAI by each operator; this saves the efforts of the operators in compiling the

data and preparing the report. COAI is also working on making this portal work post the MNP

scenario.

COAI has always held the view that the use of the mobile phone as a tool for mobile banking /

mobile commerce has immense potential and implementation of this initiative can single

handedly ensure financial inclusion for a large segment of India’s un-banked population. Last

year an inter-ministerial committee was constituted to examine various issues related to Mobile Banking in India. The major focus of the committee is to examine the role of the Mobile

service providers in contributing to the spread of mobile banking in India. COAI prepared a

White Paper on “Role of Mobile Service Providers in enabling Financial Inclusion”, which was submitted to DoT.

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With the aim of providing the facility of vernacular language SMS to the citizens of India, COAI

joined hands with CEWiT (Centre of Excellence in Wireless technology) in the development of vernacular language SMS. The proposal has been cleared by 3GPP and now

its implementation at national level is being analyzed. Last year along with CEWiT, COAI also

organized a workshop for the concerned stakeholders to understand the working of this

proposal and discuss the details of its implementation.

The TCOEs (Telecom Centres of Excellence) initiative, where COAI is playing a key role, is

taking Indian telecom to the next level of success. TCOE India has been accepted as one of

the 12 evaluating groups by ITU-R for the Radio Interface Technology Candidates for IMT-A

standards (4G technologies). The TCOE is also working towards development of Telecom

Entrepreneurship Development Centre (TEDC) with special focus on rural telecom and is also

developing Telecom Standards Development Organization of India, which envisages

formulating Telecom standards best suited to India’s operating conditions and needs as well as

to promote Indian service providers’ requirements and Indian IPRs into International standards.

STATUS ON POLICY AND REGULATORY ISSUES COAI believes that due to its efforts with the Regulator and the licensor, today, Indian Mobile

Telecommunications has been able to come a long way from older times and is considered a

poster boy of Reforms and Liberalization. The regulatory and policy initiatives that have taken

place in the last year are given below:

A big challenge that has come up for the industry due to a policy decision of DoT is the import of telecom equipments and softwares. Last year in December, DoT amended the licenses by

stating that service providers require security clearance of equipments/. Software before

procurement. Since then the industry has been trying very hard to get the matter resolved as no

imports have taken place since December due to very stringent conditions being imposed on

the service providers. Recently, COAI is working to finalize an agreement between the licensees

and vendors along with AUSPI and DoT which would over-ride all other Orders/ Circulars of

DoT and would facilitate the procurements of telecom equipments/ softwares.

As I have already stated, that the much awaited 3G & BWA auctions have been completed

recently. This will bring in the much needed broadband connectivity to the citizens of the

country. These will also serve as valuable tools to provide cost-effective mobile broadband coverage in rural areas, while simultaneously alleviating future capacity

constraints in densely populated urban areas and provide benefits of broadband to the rural

areas. We hope that the citizens of the country would be able to avail the benefits of mobile

broadband towards the end of the latter part of the year.

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One of the major policy initiative on which COAI is working closely with TRAI, DoT and TEC is

the smooth implementation of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in India. COAI has been

taking up the concerns of all the service providers with various agencies. DoT has been

convening review meetings every week with the MNP stakeholders (i.e. TSP’s and MNPOs) to

review the progress on MNP testing and assess the status of readiness of all the operators i.e.

both mobile operators and the MNPOs.

The telecom sector is also burdened by High Cost Structure. Levies and duties are the

highest as compared to global benchmarks. There is a need to rationalize the cost structure

of the sector so that affordability of services can be improved further which will not only serve to

increase take up but also improve usage. COAI has been providing its inputs on Goods and

Service Tax (GST) an d the Direct Tax Code (DTC)

At this stage, there is also a dire need for Spectrum Reforms in the country. The Spectrum

Committee last had come out with its recommendations and the Regulator after examining had

made recommendations to the Government. However, the recommendations of TRAI are at a

major deviation from the earlier DoT Spectrum Committee report. The DoT spectrum committee

had a panel of experts which had held detailed deliberations on the issue of spectrum

management and this expert body had come out with a more balanced view on the subject,

keeping in mind not only the past legacy but also the future growth of the sector.

With lowest tariffs and one of the lowest ARPUs, the profitability of the business models of

operators were already being challenged and these recommendations will have a severe

negative impact on all future investments which were to be made for expansion of service to

rural areas. These recommendations will make it extremely difficult for the operators to provide

affordable mobile communication to the citizens of India and hence will be against the interest of

the consumers.

Hence, the need for positive spectrum reforms still remains. A holistic and comprehensive view needs to be taken, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders and suitable policy

framework for spectrum should be developed. Looking at the exponential growth of mobile

service, there is also a need to allot more bands like 700 MHz band for mobile/ mobile broadband services in the near future.

I am sure that the resolution of the above issues will lead to multi-fold growth of the telecom

industry and will make it a sustainable business for all the operators.

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OTHER ACTIVITIES OF THE ASSOCIATION COAI continued its endeavor to be at the forefront of national and international events held in

the year 2009-10. COAI was an active member of the contingent to 3GSM World Congress 2009 and 2010, both held in the months of February at Barcelona. COAI also organized

various Seminars and Workshops on issues of interest and benefits for its members and the

industry. The issues included Mobile Broadband including exploring opportunities in 700 MHz

band, EMF Radiations, LTE, etc. COAI and its members also actively participated in the

Organization as well as the activities of many other telecom events in India. COAI was closely

associated and played an important role in the organization of the India Telecom Summit – 2009, a reputed international conference and exhibition.

This year on the request of some members a sub committee was set up to review the COAI Rules & Regulations. The primary purpose of setting up the subcommittee was to examine

the voting rights, and consider inputs from the members on the desired changes / modifications

in the COAI Rules & Regulations. The Committee will broadly make recommendations on

considering creating a founder member category, sharing of costs by all members, review of

COAI subscription formula and review of COAI voting rights.

This year COAI was actively involved in expanding its horizon by joining hands with many

national and international organizations. COAI became the Market Representative Partner in 3GPP, so far there were no representatives of 3GPP in India. COAI also believed that India

being the 2nd largest wireless market in the world should play a major role in the formation of

telecom standards. With this view it joined the national forum GISFI (Global ICT Standardization Forum for India) and at an international level joined WWRF (Wireless World Research Forum). COAI also signed an MoU with Israel Mobile & Communications Association (IMA) to confirm the common goal of COAI and IMA to maintain and promote

cooperation and understanding in the development of trade and business relations in the field of

Cellular Telephony.

The COAI Executive Council headed by Chairperson, Ms. Suneeta Reddy, Vice Chairman, Mr.

Sanjay Kapoor and comprising senior representatives from all member operators, met quite a

few times over the last year to deliberate on a variety of issues impacting the GSM industry.

They were adeptly assisted by expert advice from the various Working Committees that had

been set up in COAI.

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Many special committees and working groups formed in COAI also discussed various issues

related to certain specific projects like Subscriber Verification and Security related Issues,

National Do Not Call Registry, Infrastructure Sharing Committee, etc. and continued to work

diligently on the related issues.

Last year COAI also bid farewell to their beloved Director General, MR. T. V. Ramachandran

who had been a pioneer in setting up the Association and taking it forward to a level of

international recognition.

Believing in the philosophy of Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., a physician and a Professor at

Harvard, who said, “the great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving”, COAI, even in the absence of Mr. T.V. Ramachandran and other

senior colleagues moved forward in its endeavour of making available affordable

communication to the people of the country and working towards taking the GSM industry to

new levels of success. Thus, instead of resting on our past laurels, we are constantly moving

ahead towards providing affordable mobile services to the entire country. At this juncture I would

like to appreciate Mr. T.R. Dua, Deputy Director General’s efforts in bearing the flag of the

Association in the interim period and taking it forward with the same momentum as earlier.

COAI has very warmly welcomed me into the family and they believe that the Association would

greatly benefit from my experiences and my contribution towards the industry will help us in

achieving newer heights.

In the end, I would like to thank all the Committees and Working Groups and their Chairmen and Vice Chairmen for their proficient leadership and sincere contribution towards various

industry issues, even during the transition phase of COAI.

I would like to personally thank the Chairperson, Ms. Suneeta Reddy, for her fine headship of

the Association and her vigor in binding the Association for a smooth transition and would

request for her continued participation and support in all the future efforts of the industry. I also

thank the Vice Chairman, Mr. Sanjay Kapoor for all the support and guidance that he has

provided during his tenure.

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Last, but not the least, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the COAI Secretariat team which has extended exceptional support and assistance in all our endeavours during all times in

the previous year. It was due to their belief in the values of the Association that we were able to

swiftly pass through the transition phase.

RAJAN S. MATHEWS July 5, 2010

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Executive Council Members Ms. Suneeta Reddy , Aircel Ltd. (Chairperson) Mr. Sanjay Kapoor, Bharti Airtel Ltd. ( Vice Chairperson) Mr. Asim Ghosh ( Immediate Past Chairman) Aircel Ltd. represented by Mr. Gurdeep Singh Bharti Airtel Ltd represented by Mr. Narender Gupta, Etisalat DB Telecom India Pvt. Ltd. represented by Mr. Atul Jhamb Idea Cellular represented by Mr. Rajat Mukarji, Loop Mobile Ltd represented by Mr. D B Sehgal till 31st March 2010 S Tel Ltd. represented by Mr. Shamik Das TATA Teleservices Ltd. represented by Mr. Madhav Joshi Unitech Wireless represented by Mr. Ashok Sud Vodafone Essar Ltd. represented by Mr. Sanjoy Mukerji till October 2009 and Mr. T.V.Ramachandran since November 2009 Videocon Telecommunications Ltd. represented by Shri. Arvind Bali Alternate Executive Council Members Mr. S.Srinivasan, Aircel Ltd Ms. Jyoti Pawar, Bharti Airtel Ltd. Dr. Vinod K Budhiraja, Etisalat DB Telecom India Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Rahul Vatts, Idea Cellular Ltd. Mr. Harish Kapoor, Loop Mobile Ltd. Mr. J.Sugumaran, S Tel Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Anand Dalal, TATA Teleservices Ltd. Mr. Vikram Chona, Unitech Wireless Ltd. Mr. Satyapal, Vodafone Essar Ltd. Secretarial Support Ms. Priya Sawhney Mohindru

V. COAI STRUCTURE

A. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL FOR 2009-10

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Number of Meetings Held 5

Key issues discussed Subscriber Identification & Verification process • Common Manual for pre-paid verification • Implementation of Common Manual for pre-paid verification • ACT Workshops in Chennai • Issues related to pre-paid in Jammu & Kashmir • DoT’s Directive on implementation of Genuine IMEI list &

2nd Phase of GII Programme • Proposed Unique Dealer ID • Industries possible collaboration with UID Authority

DOT Related Issues • DoT’s Licence Amendment on Security Clearance for

Procurement of equipment / software • Auction of 3G & BWA Spectrum • Implementation of Mobile Number Portability , and various

issues related to the same • Simplifications of SACFA Procedure and clearance by the

Airport Authority of India

Status on Implementation of Mobile Number Portability , readiness of operators and consistent interactions with DoT

Status on Mobile Banking and issues with RBI guidelines

Issues related to installation of cell sites / guidelines by

local bodies

Industry’s concerns on the proposed Goods & Service Tax Regime and necessary representation to the Govt.

• COAI’s representation on Post Budget Issues

TRAI Related Issues & COAI’s position on • On Authorities directive on provision of VAS • COAI’s concerns on Quality of Service Regulation • Issues related to “11” Digit Numbering Plan • TRAI recommendations on “ Spectrum Management and

Licensing Framework • COAI’s proposal on Call Centre charging • Pre-Consultation on 4G • Issues related to Prepaid customers and redressal of their

grievances • Pre-consultation on Protection & Redressal of Consumer

Grivenances • Special Rural Benefit Plan

Legal Matters & Regular Update on cases

Activities Related to EMF issues

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• Working with TEC on finalization of Test Procedure for ICNIRP Compliance

• DoT’s instructions on the norms to be adopted for self-certification

• Campaign on EMF related issues

Association Related Activities • COAI’s Annual Benchmarking Study • COAI integrated online benchmarking study • COAI’s MoU with the Isreal Mobile Association • COAI Membership with 3GPP, WWRF and GISFI • Review of COAI Rules & Regulations • Membership of Qualcomm, Huawei and Indus Towers • Sharing of Expenses by New COAI Members • Creation of TEPC and its membership. • Status on TCOE’s and the projects being undertaken • Status on the Financial Dues

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1. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Chairman Mr. Rajat Mukarji, Idea Cellular Ltd.

Committee Members Aircel Ltd. represented by Mr. Ashok Sharma / Ms. Renu Banerji Bharti Airtel Ltd. represented by Mr. Ashwani Rana/ Mr. Vinny Puri Etisalat DB Telecom India Pvt. Ltd. represented by Mr. Vinod Budhiraja Loop Mobile India Ltd. represented by Mr. Harish Kapoor Idea Cellular represented by Mr. Rahul Vatts TATA Teleservices Ltd represented by Mr. Anand Dalal, Unitech Wireless represented by Mr. Ashok Sud/ Mr. Vikram Chona Videocon Telecommunications Ltd. represented by Mr. K.L.Jain Vodafone Essar Ltd. represented by Mr. Sundeep Kathuria/ Gajendra Upadhyay Secretarial Support Ms. Priya Sawhney Mohindru Ms. Vertika Misra

Number of Meetings Held

4

Key issues discussed • Operators have been spending huge costs on setting up of

the dedicated customer care centres/ IVR systems. • These costs were not recovered as TRAI had mandated that

no charges should be levied on the subscriber for calling the call centres for redressal of their grievances.

• EC mandated the Business Development Committee with the

task to give a proposal to TRAI to allow service providers to charge for the query related calls.

• 4 meetings of the group were held to discuss the various

options to be presented to TRAI. • International data from UK, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Srilanka

was collected. • A formal representation was made to TRAI in October 2009,

followed by various meetings which were led by Mr. Sanjay Kapoor Vice Chair and Mr. Rajat Mukarji.

B. WORKING COMMITTEES FOR 2009-10

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• It was brought to the notice of the Authority that earlier there

was no segregation between query calls and complaint calls and the industry was spending nearly USD 1 billion on this entire exercise through their call centres.

• After discussions the Authority, agreed on the following a. There will be 2 separate nos. – 198 for complaints and any

other no. desirable by the service provider for queries. b. 198 will be toll free and will have to be mandatorily agent

assisted with the provision of regional language. c. Due publicity of this toll free no. has to be done by

operators to create awareness amongst the customers. d. As per TRAI Regulation and subsequent Directions, calls

related to grievances, service related requests and un-subscribing of VAS will have to be toll free.

e. Operators who do not have 2 separate nos. at present will

have to make provisions for the same.

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2. FINANCE & COMMERCIAL COMMITTEE Chairman : Mr. G.V.S. Murthy, Idea Cellular Ltd. Committee Members Aircel Ltd. represented by Mr. C. R. Siva, Mr. Sivakumar Jayaraman Bharti Airtel Ltd represented by Mr. Sanjay Berry, Sushil Puri, Anil Bahal BSNL represented by Ms. Arundati Panda Etisalat DB Telecom India Pvt. Ltd represented by Mr. Kanupriya Mr. Saurabh Malhotra Idea Cellular Ltd represented by Mr. G.V.S. Murthy/ Mr. Viddyesh vaidya Loop Mobile Communications Ltd represented by Mr. M. Satishan MTNL represented by Mr. Yadav S Tel Ltd. Mr. Arun Mandhana, Mr. D. K. Gupta TATA Teleservices Ltd represented by Mr. M Suresh/ Mr. Sanjay Chopra Unitech Wireless represented by Mr. Harish Chawla Videocon Telecommunications Ltd represented by Mr. Shanker Baheria/ Mr. Narendra Pati Vodafone Essar Ltd. represented by Mr. Rohit Agarwal / Amitabh Khemka Secretarial Support Mr. Saurabh Puri Mr. Gopal Mittal


Key issues discussed Budget Related Issues

• Post-Budget Memorandum

• Pre-Budget Memorandum.

Goods & Service Tax (GST)

Direct Tax Code (DTC)

SFIS for service providers (DGFT)

Rationalization of Levies and Duties

Tax Benefit Under Section 80-IA Undergoing Amalgamation or

Demerger After 31.3.2007

Tax Holiday Under Section 80-IA

Deduction In Respect of Section 80-IA

Availability Of Mat Credit In Case Of Amalgamation

Excise Duty on BTS Cell Sites

Customs Duty on Optical Fibre Cables

CENVAT credit on tower / shelter

TDS on infrastructure revenue & TDS U/s 194H

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3. INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE Chairman : Mr. Umang Das, SREI Committee Members Aircel Ltd. represented by Mr. Rishi Kumar Sharma / Mr. Manmeet Jamwal Bharti Airtel Ltd. represented by Mr. Navin Sanghi / Mr. Hitesh Kumar Etisalat DB. represented by Mr. Vinod Budhiraja Idea Cellular Ltd. Represented by Mr. Rahul Vatts / Mr. Rajesh J Khanna Loop Mobile Ltd. represented by Mr. Harish Kapoor TATA Teleservices Ltd. Mr. Vikram Tiwathia Vodafone Essar Ltd. Represented by Ms. Shaina Subramanium / Mr. Aseem Mohan ATC Tower Co. of India Ltd. represented by Mr . Amit Sharma GTL Ltd. represented by Mr. Rupinder S. Ahluwalia Indus Towers Ltd. represented by Mr. Aeem Tiwari / Mr. Rajinder Kumar Quipo Telecom Infrastructure Ltd. represented by Mr. Umang Das/ Mr. Naresh Ajwani Tower Vision India Pvt. Ltd. represented by Mr. Sudhir Prasad India Telecom Infra Ltd. represented by Mr. T.K. Basu Secretarial Support Ms. Priya Sawhney Mohindru Mr. Kshem Kapoor Ms. Sugandha Berry

Number of meetings held : approximately 10 to 12

There have been increasing incidences of State governments, local civic or municipal bodies laying down impossible stringent criteria for the installation of towers. Such restrictions/prohibitions result in creation of ‘dark spot’, resulting in poor quality of service to the subscribers of cellular mobile service.

The Infrastructure Committee was mandated with handling various issues in many parts of the country, especially the tower matters in, NOIDA, Delhi, West Bengal, etc. West Bengal :

• The Department of Environment West Bengal had directed all operators to install cellsites without DG sets and to remove DG sets from existing cellsites.

• COAI organized a meeting in Kolkata and a formal representation was made in the matter, presenting concerns of the operators and impact of such directive on the cellular mobile services.

• Meeting with the concerned state department were held the matter was resolved successfully.

NOIDA :

• NOIDA Authority initiated an unannounced sealing on 30th & 31st January 2010. The same led to sealing of more than 150 towers and severely disrupted the cellular mobile communications in the satellite township.

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• Several representations were made to DoT, TRAI, NOIDA Authority & PMO. A meeting was called by Chairman TRAI, inviting the senior officials from NOIDA Authority and COAI and AUSPI to discuss and find a solution to the issues concerning disruption of cellular mobile services in NOIDA due to sealing of towers by the NOIDA Authority.

• Subsequently individual petitions were filed by the respective operators for de-sealing of

the sites in NOIDA and relief was granted by the High Court in the matter. Delhi MCD Area :

• In October 2009, MCD initiated a drive to seal alleged unauthorized construction of Telecom Towers.

• COAI made various representations to Chief Secretary Delhi, Lt. Governor, Chief

Minister and MCD Commissioner and zonal deputy Commissioners.

• The Telecom Industry under the aegis of COAI and AUSPI subsequently met Chief Minister Smt. Sheila Dikhit and expressed their concerns on the issue.

• A new policy was formed on the recommendations of the Hon’ble Chief Minister. The

new guidelines are more stringent and MCD has increased the fee by 2000%.

• Subsequently, the Industry has filed petitions against the guidelines in the Delhi High Court. The matter is under consideration.

All support and coordination in the above matters is being provided by the Infrastructure Committee.

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4. REGULATORY AND TECHNICAL COMMITTEE

Chairman Mr. Satyapal, Vodafone Essar Mobile Services Ltd. Vice Chairman Mr. Narender Gupta, Bharti Airtel Ltd. Committee Members Aircel Ltd. represented by Mr. Ashok Sharma Bharti Airtel Ltd represented by Ms. Jyoti Pawar/ Mr. Ashwani Rana Etisalat represented by Dr. Vinod Budhiraja/Ms. Kanupriya Bhardwaj Idea Cellular represented by Mr. Rajat Mukarji/ Mr. Rahul Vatts Loop Mobile Ltd. Represented by Mr. D.B Sehgal/ Mr. Harish Kapoor Stel represented by Mr. D.K Gupta TATA Teleservices Ltd represented by Mr. Anand Dalal/Mr. Vikram Tiwathia Unitech Wireless represented by Mr. Ashok Sud/ Mr. B.R Khurana/ Mr. Vikram Chona Videocon Ltd represented by Mr. K.L Jain /Mr. Sunil Sharma Vodafone Essar Ltd. represented by Mr. T. V Ramachandran/Ms. Anjali Hans/ Mr. Gajendra Upadhyay Secretarial Support Mr. Saurabh Puri Mr. Kshem Kapoor


Key issues discussed Mobile Number Portability Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC) & National Do

not Call Registry(NDNC) Inter operator UCC Complaint Resolution Portal Roll Out Obligations Establishment of direct Connectivity for cellular & applicability of

transit charges. Carriage of Intra Circle traffic by NLD operators Rural Telephony and Rural Broadband Issues related to Redressal of Consumer Grievances &

Consumer Protection in Telecommunications.

TRAI Related Issues • Consultation Paper & Recommendation on Lock-in period for

Promoter’s Equity and Other Related Issues for Unified Access Service Licensees (UASL)

• Consultation Paper on Bandwidth required for ISPs for better connectivity and improved quality of service.

• Consultation paper on Licensing Issues relating to Next Generation Networks.

• Recommendations on Growth of Value Added Services and Regulatory Issues.

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• TRAI Regulation on Interconnection Usage Charges (IUC) • TRAI Reply to Dot regarding Mobile Virtual Network

Operator (MVNO) Recommendations. • Study Paper on National Numbering Plan • Recommendations on an approach to Rural Telephony –

Suggested Measures for an Accelerated Growth. • TRAI Regulation on Standard of QoS of basic services and

cellular mobile telephone services • TRAI reply to DoT on its recommendations on Issues

relating to Internet Telephony • TRAI direction to Access Service Providers on provision of

Value Added Services for enhanced transparency with regard to taking explicit consent of consumers and for preventing accidental subscription to value added services.

• TRAI reply to DoT on its recommendations on issues relating to Transition from IPv4 to IPv6 in India.

• Consultation Paper & Regulation on Port Transaction Charge, Dipping Charge and Porting Charge for Mobile Number Portability.

• TRAI Regulation on Mobile Number Portability • TRAI amendment to direction on provision of value added

services to customers. • Consultation paper on Efficient Utilization of Numbering

Resources. • Direction regarding confidentiality of information of

subscribers and privacy of communications • Consultation paper on Collocation Charges • Comments invited from stakeholders on Pre - consultation

on Encouraging Telecom Equipment Manufacturing. • Pre-consultation on Green Telecom • Pre Consultation Relating to Telecom Consumers Protection

and Redressal of Consumer Grievances • Consultation Paper on Review of Telecom Unsolicited

Commercial Communications Regulations • Consultation paper on National Broadband Plan • Issues relating to Interconnect Usage Charge(IUC) • Mobile Termination Charge • Tariff & Billing related issues.

DoT Related Issues • Mobile Number Portability • Migration from IPv4 to IPV6 • Wi-Fi Security Issues • EMF Related Issues

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5. TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

Chairman : Mr. Jagbir Singh, Bharti Airtel Ltd. Vice Chairman : Mr. Mallikarjun Rao, Aircel Ltd.

Committee Members Aircel Ltd. represented by Mr. Amitabh Mukhopadhyay , Mr. Raj Sharma Bharti Airtel Ltd represented by Mr. Abhay Savargaonkar, Mr. Jagbir Singh Etisalat DB Telecom Pvt. Ltd. represented by Ms. Kanupriya Bhardwaj, Mr. Vinod Budhiraja Idea Cellular represented by Mr. Rahul Vatts Loop Mobile Communications Ltd represented by Harish Kapoor S-Tel Ltd. Represented by Mr. Shamik Das, Mr. D.K. Gupta TATA Teleservices Ltd represented by Mr. Arun Kumar Singh, Mr. Vikram Tiwathia Uninor represented by Mr. Chinmay Mitra, Mr. B. R. Khurana Videocon Telecommunication Ltd represented by Mr. Sunil Sharma Vodafone Essar Ltd. represented by Mr. Dan Lloyd, Mr. Gajendra Upadhyay Ericsson represented by Mr. P Balaji, Mr. Arif Khan NSN represented by Mr. J.P. Garg Secretarial Support Ms. Vertika Misra Mr. Nitin Sapra Ms. Sugandha Berry


Key issues discussed India specific BWA requirements CEWIT/ BWCI proposals for LTE-A Indian Language SMS- way forward EMF Radiations • TEC testing procedures • ICNIRP guidelines

3G RAN sharing Femto Cells Migration from IPv4 to IPv6 LTE in 2.3 GHz band in TDD mode Multiport Antenna- trials Wi-Max 2.5G GPRS based Mobile Video calling systems Automated Networking Element Management Systems Automatic Networking QoS Monitoring systems

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1. Apex Advisory Council for Telecom in India (ACT) I. SUBSCRIBER VERIFICATION & SECURITY RELATED ISSUES Committee Members Aircel Ltd. represented by Mr. Ashok Sharma, Mr. Sachin Das Bharti Airtel Ltd represented by Mr. Ravi Gandhi/ Mr. Ashwani Rana BSNL represented by Mr. Kishore Bhagtani/ Mr. Ashok Rawat Etisalat Ltd. represented by Mr. Vinod Budhiraja HFCL represented by Mr. R.K. Mehta Idea Cellular represented by Mr. C.A.J. Prakash / Mr. Rahul Vatts Loop Mobile Ltd. Represented by Mr. D.B. Sehgal/ Mr. Harish Kapoor MTNL represented by Mr. R.C. Sen Reliance Telecom Ltd represented by Mr. Manish Kr. Gupta S-Tel represented by Mr. D.K Gupta/Mr. Dhiraj Sethi TTSL represented by Mr. Anand Dalal/ Mr. B.N. Singh Unitech Wireless represented by Mr. Mr. Vikram Chona/ Mr. Subodh Kumar Videocon represented by Mr. K.L. Jain/ Mr. Manish Bhalla Vodafone Essar Ltd. represented by Mr. T.V. Ramachandran

Secretarial Support Ms. Vertika Misra Mr. Kshem Kapoor Number of Meetings Held: 15 This year was quite eventful for ACT as a many workshops related to security related issues

regarding mobile services were held in different zones of the country. Healthy interaction

amongst all the Workshop participants, from DoT Headquarters, TERM Cells, Security as well

as Law Enforcement Agencies, as well as the industry led to new levels of understanding

between the parties and has paved the way for a renewed spirit of partnership and cooperation.

As an outcome of the various workshops, DoT issued some favourable guidelines for the

industry, clarifying many pending issues including outstation customers, foreign nationals, etc.

Through its continuous efforts with the Government, ACT was able to get an additional list of

documents to be accepted as Proof of Identity and Proof of Address, which has been really

helpful for the industry in terms of expanding growth to rural and remote areas.

C. SPECIAL PROJECTS / WORKING GROUPS FOR 2008

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Last year a crucial issue of suspension of prepaid services in Jammu & Kashmir came up. ACT

had put in lot of efforts with DoT and MHA and held various meetings with them to highlight the

inconvenience caused to the citizens of the state. After deliberations with the MHA, the services

were finally resumed with a new set of guidelines to be followed by the operators.

In its endeavour to continuously improve its systems and procedures, under the aegis of ACT,

the entire industry formulated a Common Manual on Prepaid Subscriber Verification, which is

uniformly being followed by the entire industry.

II. National Do Not Call Registry Chairman Mr. Sundeep Kathuria, Vodafone Essar Ltd.

Committee Members Aircel Ltd. represented by Mr. Virender Sharma/Ms. Vibha Munjal Bharti Airtel Ltd represented by Mr. Ambar Narula BSNL represented by Mr. Ashok Rawat/Mr. Dilip Kumar/Mr. A.K Gautam Etisalat represented by Dr. Vinod Budhiraja/Ms. Kanupriya Bhardwaj Idea Cellular represented by Mr. Ajay Sharma/Mr. N.P Singh/Ms. Jayshree Karandikar Loop Mobile Ltd. Represented by Mr. Sumeet Badlaney/Mr. Radha Nair MTNL represented by Mr. D.C. Gupta/ Mr. Sunil Mahajan Reliance Telecom Ltd represented by Ms. Bachu sunita Stel represented by Mr. D.K Gupta/Mr. Dhiraj Sethi TATA Teleservices Ltd represented by Mr. Supriya Baneerjee/Ms. Haripriya/Ms. Ritu Mathur Unitech Wireless Ltd represented by Mr. Subodh singh, Videocon represented by Mr. Sunil Sharma/ Mr. Manish Bhalla Vodafone Essar Ltd. represented by Mr. Gajendra Upadhyay/Mr. Vamsee Krishnay Secretarial Support Mr. Saurabh Puri Mr. Kshem Kapoor Number of Meetings Held: 7

On June 2008 TRAI had suggested that Service Providers should put in place an automated

system for handling inter-operator UCC Complaints through industry associations, namely

COAI/AUSPI. The NDNC Co-ordination Committee, which has representatives from all service

providers, has been overseeing development and running of the inter-operator complaint

resolution portal.

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In this regard, an inter-operator UCC complaints resolution portal was developed under the

aegis of COAI & AUSPI. The objective of the portal was to ensure speedy resolution and

settlement of inter-operators UCC complaints.

The portal includes the option of uploading both inter operator and intra operator complaints.

The portal also includes the automated process of generating various MIS reports which

includes the monthly report to be submitted to TRAI by each operator; this saves the efforts of

the operators in compiling the data and preparing the report.

The portal has been operational since April 2009 and is fully compliant with the UCC

Directives/Regulations issued by the Authority from time to time. This portal is being used by all

service providers including BSNL, MTNL.

Portal is working on the MSC codes logic i.e. the portal automatically identifies the network of the

complainant and the concerned telemarketer from the preset MSC codes database. However, it was observed that post MNP implementation the MSC code will no more remain the valid service provider identifier.

In order to resolve this issue COAI requested TRAI to allow the MNPO to share the porting

database with the NIC and COAI/AUSPI Portal, so that the system easily identifies the

concerned service provider by querying the database provided by the MNPO.

In this regard, TRAI held a meeting with COAI and suggested that since LRN has to be prefixed

on every call the same could be used as an identifier in the inter operator complaint

management portal.

Currently, Operators are checking the feasibility and impact of the suggested solution of TRAI.

Further, TRAI released a Consultation Paper on “UCC Regulation 2007” wherein an “Opt-int

“approach i.e. Do Call Registry was proposed by TRAI in place of “Opt-out” approach i.e. Do not

call registry in order to improve the effectiveness of the UCC Regulation.

COAI in its response to TRAI on the said consultation Paper submitted that the problem lies NOT with the Regulation but with the enforcement and implementation of the Regulation, hence the “National Do Not Call Registry” should be continued and the focus of the review should be on enforcement and implementation.

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2. COAI RULES AND REGULATIONS COMMITTEE Chairman: Mr. Rajat Mukarji Committee Members Aircel Ltd. represented by Mr. Ashok Sharma Bharti Airtel Ltd. represented by Mr. Narender Gupta Etisalat DB Telecom India Pvt. Ltd. represented by Mr. Vinod Budhiraja Loop Mobile Ltd. represented by Mr. D.B. Sehgal/ Mr. Harish Kapoor TATA Teleservices Ltd. represented by Mr. Anand Dalal Vodafone Essar Ltd. represented by Mr. Sundeep Kathuria / Mr. T.V. Ramachandran Secretarial Support Mr. Gopal Mittal Ms. Amrita Anand Number of meetings held: 3

On the request of some members to review the COAI Rules & Regulations a sub committee

was set up. The primary purpose of setting up the subcommittee was to examine the voting

rights, and consider inputs from the members on the desired changes / modifications in the

COAI Rules & Regulations

While objective of the committee is to review the COAI Rules & Regulations it is maintained that

all amendments proposed should be based on the principle that the members should not

compromise on the long term interests of the industry to accommodate a short term interest and

the Association should continue to operate and function in the same spirit as it had in the past.

The Committee will broadly make recommendations on :

1. To consider creating a founder member category.

2. Sharing of costs by all members.

3. Review of COAI subscription formula.

4. Review of COAI voting rights.

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3. EMF & ENVIRONMENT RELATED ISSUES I. WORKING GROUP Committee Members Aircel Ltd. represented by Mr. Malikarjun/Mr. Raj Sharma Bharti Airtel Ltd represented by Mr. Jagbir Singh/Mr. Abhay Savargaonkar/Mr. Konesh Kochhal Etisalat represented by Dr. Vinod Budhiraja/Ms. Kanupriya Bhardwaj Idea Cellular represented by Mr. Rahul Vatts/ Mr. Biju Mohan Loop Mobile Ltd. represented by Mr. Harish kapoor Stel represented by Mr. J Sugumaran TATA Teleservices Ltd. represented by Mr. Arun Kumar Singh/Mr. Srijith Pullanjode Uninor represented by Mr. B. R. Khurana/ Mr. Chinmay Mitra Videocon represented by Mr. K. L. Jain/Mr. Satyaveer Gulati/Mr. Sunil Sharma Vodafone Essar Ltd. represented by Mr. TV Ramachandran/Mr. Vishal Dindorkar Nokia Siemens Network represented by Mr. J.P. Garg Motorola represented by Mr. Bharat Bhatia Secretarial Support Ms. Priya Sawhney Mohindru Mr. Kshem Kapoor Ms. Sugandha Berry

Number of Meetings Held: 7 (including Technology Committee Meetings)

EMF ISSUES COAI has been closely working with the DoT/TEC, GSMA for adoption of safety standards for

EMF exposure from Mobile Base stations .

ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection Board) guidelines

were adopted by TEC/DoT in July 2008. These guidelines lay down the limits of maximum

exposure that can be permitted from Mobile Phones and Base stations.

DoT amended UAS Licenses on 4th November 2008, and directed all the licensees to provide

self certificates annually as per the procedure prescribed by TEC for compliance with the

ICNIRP guidelines.

COAI worked closely with TEC on Test Procedures for measurement of Electromagnetic Fields

from Base station Antenna and engaged experts from a renowned engineering college

(Thiagarajar Engineering College Madurai) to share their expertise on the test procedures. TEC

issued the Test Procedure for measurement of Electromagnetic field from Base Station Antenna

in September 2009.

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DoT vide letter dated 8th April 2010 issued instructions for implementing test procedure,

directing operators to submit self certification on all existing BTS's by 8th May 2010.

COAI in its representation to DoT highlighted concerns with regards to the DoT order of April 8,

2010. A detailed presentation was also made in this regard to DDG (TERM-Security) on May

10, 2010 concerns and sought six months extension for the compliance by the operators.

After much persuasion DoT has agreed and accordingly issued a letter extending the timeline

for self certification of BTS’s to 15 Nov’2010.

Meetings of the EMF group are being held to clarify the issues amongst members and with DoT

to actively accomplish the self-certification before the stipulated period.

COAI also writes to media, various Government departments and agencies with a purpose to

erase the misconception about the EMF, and its alleged heath affects, and also disseminates

correct information on RF radiations from Mobile stations and mobile phones based on scientific evidence and the large studies & research carried out by the International bodies of highest repute, e.g WHO, ICNIRP , ITU , & FDA etc.

All these activities are being effectively and ably coordinated by the committee and its members.

II. ADVOCACY GROUP Committee Members Aircel Ltd. represented by Ms. Vibha Munjhal Bharti Airtel Ltd represented by Mr. Abhay Savargaonkar/Mr. Konesh Kochhal Etisalat represented by Ms. Kanupriya Bhardwaj / Mr. Mehul Bhandari Idea Cellular represented by Mr. Rajat Mukarji Loop Mobile Ltd. represented by Mr. Harish kapoor Stel represented by Mr. J Sugumaran TATA Teleservices Ltd. represented by Mr. Vikram Tiwathia Vodafone Essar Ltd. represented by Mr. TV Ramachandran/Ms. Anjali Hans Quippo & WTTIL, represented by Mr. Naresh Ajwani Indus Towers represented by Mr. Aseem Tiwari AUSPI represented by Mr. S.C. Khanna Secretarial Support Ms. Priya Sawhney Mohindru Mr. Kshem Kapoor Ms. Sugandha Berry

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Number of Meetings Held: 3 Members at various occasions have expressed a need for a continuous advocacy programme

by the association to negate the apprehensions associated with the cellular towers from the

minds of general public/ government agencies / civic bodies and media. Accordingly an

advocacy group was setup to discuss and strategize the road map for the advocacy programme

on EMF and Infrastructure related issues. It is a joint Industry initiative in which AUSPI and the

associate members of COAI are also actively involved.

The mandate of the advocacy group is to effectively engage with the target audience to create

awareness and build positive opinion on concerns related to EMF exposure from the base

stations. The group has met thrice since its formation on 30th April 2010. It was highlighted in

the meetings that the problem of dealing with the radiations and tower issues involve more of

civic, society and neighbour challenges. Following action items have been progressed by the

group :-

Preparation of Frequently Asked Questions( FAQ’s) which should deal with such questions

and provide information in easy language which is easier to cater to the doubts of both the

general public and media.

The FAQ’s will further be converted into vernacular languages for a more regional approach.

Selection of PR agency to attain appropriate level of advocacy.

Brief /Scope of Work for the PR agency was prepared and sent to selected PR Agencies

and proposal were sought.

Two PR Agencies have been short listed to execute the PR exercise in metro cities.

www.coai.in 36


4. WORKING GROUP ON MOBILE NUMBER PORTABILITY Committee Members Aircel Ltd. represented by Mr. Raj Sharma/ Mr. Ashok Sharma Bharti Airtel Ltd represented by Mr. Shyam Mardikar/Mr. Ravi Gandhi Etisalat represented by Dr. Vinod Budhiraja/Ms. Kanupriya Bhardwaj Idea Cellular represented by Mr. Rajat Mukherjee/ Mr. Rahul Vatts/ Mr. N.P singh Loop Mobile Ltd. represented by Mr. Harish Kapoor Stel represented by Mr. D.K Gupta/Mr. Dhiraj Sethi Tata Teleservices Ltd. represented by Mr. Anand Dalal/ Mr. Srinivasa Rao Unitech Wireless Ltd. represented by Mr. B.R. Khurana/ Mr. Ranjit Jha Videocon represented by Mr. Sunil Sharma/Mr. Raja Moorthy Vodafone Essar Ltd. represented by Mr. Sundeep Kathuria/Gajendra Upadhyay Secretarial Support Mr. Saurabh Puri Mr. Kshem Kapoor

Number of Meetings Held: 10 Introduction of MNP in India will further enhance competition and improve quality of services as

service providers will have to ensure provision of best services and minimize complaints. MNP

would lead to innovation of new services by service providers in order to attract and retain

customers.

DoT has divided the country into two zones and has licensed Ms Syniverse and Ms MITS (Telcordia), to set up MNP infrastructure in Zone 1 and Zone 2 respectively.

COAI is working closely with TRAI, DoT and TEC to ensure smooth implementation of MNP.

COAI has been taking up the concerns of all the service providers with various agencies.

DoT has been convening review meetings every week with the MNP stakeholders (i.e. TSP’s

and MNPOs) to review the progress on MNP testing and assess the status of readiness of all

the operators i.e. both mobile operators and the MNPOs.

In the weekly review meeting held in DoT on June 18, 2010, DoT mandated COAI to conduct

regular weekly meetings with all the service providers including AUSPI and ILD providers so as

to provide a platform for resolution of inter operator issues and report the weekly status with

regard to testing and implementation to DoT.

www.coai.in 37


5. WORKING GROUP ON SPECTRUM Committee Members Aircel Ltd. represented by Mr. Amitabh Mukhopadaya, Mr. Ashok Sharma Bharti Airtel Ltd represented by Mr. Narender Gupta, Ashwani Rana Etisalat DB Telecom Pvt. Ltd. represented by Mr. Vinod Budhiraja, Ms. Kanupriya Bhardwaj Idea Cellular represented by Mr. Rajat Mukerji Mr. Rahul Vatts Loop Mobile Communications Ltd represented by Mr. Harish Kapoor Uninor represented by Mr. Ashok Sud, Mr. B. R Khurana Videocon Telecommunication represented by Mr. K. L Jain Vodafone Essar Ltd. represented by Mr. Ajay Jain Ericsson represented by Mr. P Balaji, Mr. Arif Khan Nokia Siemens Networks represented by Mr. J.P. Garg Secretarial Support Ms. Vertika Misra Mr. Nitin Sapra


Key issues discussed Digital Dividend- 700 MHz

National Frequency Allocation Plan NFAP- 2008

WPC/SACFA Issues – interactive sessions

Consultation Paper & Recommendations on Overall Spectrum Management

3G Auctions

BWA Auctions

Spectrum charges for 3G services

3G spectrum in 800 MHz (Launch of 3G EVDO services by

CDMA operators)

Issues related to WRC-12 – NWG, AWF meetings

Enhanced charges for Microwave spectrum

Allocation of Frequency Resources in India for DECT technology

Pre-consultation Paper on IMT-Advanced (4G) Mobile Wireless Broadband services

www.coai.in 38


• Mr. Rajan. S. Mathews, Director General

• Mr. T.R. Dua, Deputy Director General

• Mr. J. Jena, Senior Director – Special Projects

• Mr. Saurabh Puri, Deputy Director - Research & Analysis

• Mr. Gopal Mittal, Deputy Director - Commercial & Finance

• Ms. Priya Sawhney Mohindru, Deputy Director - Communications & Regulations

• Mr. P. Paulraj, Advisor

• Ms. Vertika Misra, Manager - Research & Analysis

• Mr. Kshem Kapoor, Deputy Manager

• Mr. Nitin Sapra, Deputy Manager

• Ms. Seema Gupta, Assistant Manager- Administration

• Ms. Amrita Anand, Assistant Manager

• Ms. Anandhi Nair, Senior Executive – DG office

• Ms. Lalitha Ravichandran, Executive

• Ms. Sugandha Berry, Executive

D. COAI SECRETARIAT

www.coai.in 39


1. Aircel Ltd. 2. Bharti Airtel Ltd. 3. Etisalat DB Telecom India Pvt. Ltd. 4. Idea Cellular Limited 5. Loop Mobile (India) Ltd. 6. S-Tel Ltd. 7. Tata Teleservices Ltd. 8. Unitech Wireless 9. Videocon Mobile Services 10. Vodafone Essar Limited

1. Aster Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. 2. ATC Tower Company of India Pvt. Ltd. 3. Ericsson India Pvt. Ltd. 4. Essar Telecom Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. 5. GTL Infrastructure Ltd. 6. India Telecom Infra Limited 7. Indus Tower Ltd. 8. Nokia Siemens Networks 9. Quippo- WTTIL 10. Tower Vision India Pvt. Ltd.

VI. COAI Members

A. COAI Core Members

B. COAI Associate Members

www.coai.in 40


CEO: Mr. Sandip Das Email: [email protected] Website: www.aircel.co.in Operational Service Areas: MP & Chhattisgarh, Mumbai, Pune, Uttar Pradesh East, Uttar

Pradesh West, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Kolkata, Assam, Bihar, Chennai,

Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, North-East , Orissa, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal

About Aircel Aircel, a joint venture between Maxis Communications Berhad, Malaysia & Apollo Hospitals

Group is India’s 5th largest GSM mobile service provider with a subscriber base of > 40 mn and

is the fastest growing mobile operator in the country. It is the market leader in TN, Assam, NE &

Chennai. Aircel is now present in 19 Circles with spectrum secured for all the remaining circles.

The company is on track to become a leading Pan-India Operator. Aircel, a National Brand with

a strong local connect offers a refreshing experience to customers in this otherwise cluttered

market. It offers innovative customized products, specially designed keeping the need of various

segments in mind such as youth, migrants, SME’s, professionals, dependants etc. in each

circle.

Aircel represents Modern face of Telecom championing the future of mobility in India around

Multi-functionality of mobile phone & the world of possibilities it can unleash for Young India

across multiple segments. With a broad range of new propositions for customers and key

initiatives on branding, network coverage, innovative product & service offerings, Aircel is on its

way up as it offers fresh networks, simplified tariff plans, refreshing value added and customer

services.

Aircel is a proud recipient of some of the leading awards, CMAI National Infocom Award 2009,

Brand Leadership Award by World Brand Congress 2009, Best Employer Brand & Innovation in

HR & Best Strategy in line with Business by World HRD Congress 2009. Aircel also bagged

awards in professional categories, for the best professional in Marketing, HR & Corporate

Communications.

A. COAI Core Members

Aircel Ltd. 5th Floor, Spencer Plaza 769, Anna Salai Chennai – 600 002, Tamil Nadu.

www.coai.in 41


CEO – India & South Asia: Mr. Sanjay Kapoor Email: [email protected] Website: www.airtel.in Operational Service Areas: Delhi (Metro), Mumbai (Metro), Kolkata (Metro), Chennai (Metro),

Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir,

Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, North East, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan,

Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh (E), Uttar Pradesh (W), West Bengal.

About Bharti Bharti Airtel Ltd., one of Asia’s leading integrated telecom services providers with operations in

18 countries across Asia (India, Srilanka & Bangladesh) & Africa. Bharti since its inception has

been at the forefront of technology & has pioneered several innovations in the telecom sector.

The company is structured into four strategic business units in India - Mobile, Telemedia

provides broadband, IPTV & telephone services in 89 Indian cities, Digital TV provides DTHTV

services across India & Enterprise provides end-to-end telecom solutions to corporate

customers & national & international long distance services to telcos.

The company has > 180 mn customers across its operations serving an aggregate of

130,686,172 customers in India as of March 31, 2010; of whom 127,619,314 subscribed to its

GSM services & 3,066,858 used its Telemedia Services either for voice and/or broadband

access delivered through DSL. The company is the largest wireless service provider in the

country, based on subscribers. The company also deploys, owns and manages passive

infrastructure pertaining to telecom operations under its subsidiary Bharti Infratel Limited owning

42% of Indus Towers Limited.

Some achievements of Bharti are ‘Strongest Brand’ in the Economic Times, 7th Most Valuable

Brand in India with a brand value of $2.5 billion, featured in Forbes Asia’s "Fabulous 50"

companies of Asia Pac, ‘Most Preferred Cellular Service Provider Award’ at CNBC Awaaz

Consumer Awards 2009, ‘NDTV Profit Business Leadership Award 2009’ in Telecom Sector, %

Voice & Data Telecom Awards 2009 including ‘Top Telecom Services Provider of the Year

2009’, ‘Top Cellular Services Provider 2009’ & ‘Service Provider of the Year’ and ‘Wireless

Service Provider of the Year’ by Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific ICT Awards.

Bharti Airtel Limited Airtel Center - Gurgaon Plot no 16, Udyog Vihar, Phase IV Gurgaon-122 001 (Haryana)

www.coai.in 42


CEO: Mr. Atul Jhamb Contact Person: Dr. Vinod Budhiraja, Chief Regulatory Officer Email: [email protected] Website: www.etisalat.ae Operational Service Areas: Delhi (Metro), Mumbai (Metro), Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat,

Haryana, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu,

Uttar Pradesh (E), & Uttar Pradesh (W).

About Etisalat DB Etisalat DB Telecom India Pvt. Ltd., one of the latest entrants in the burgeoning Indian mobile

service industry is a joint venture between Etisalat and DB Group. Headquartered in Mumbai,

the company offers a full spectrum of telecom services in 15 circles covering a population of

over 900 million under the brand name, “Cheers”.

Headquartered in UAE, Etisalat is today recognized as one of the largest telecommunications

company in the world and also the largest operator in the Middle East with operations in 18

countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa, servicing over 100 million customers out of a

total population of approximately 2bn people. The company has built state-of-the-art telecom

infrastructure and taken a leadership position of innovation and reliability among regional and

international operators. Etisalat has been ranked 140th among the Financial Times Top 500

Corporations in the world in terms of market capitalization.

Etisalat is also the major hub in the Middle East, for internet, voice, mobile broadband,

broadcast, roaming and corporate data services, with an extensive regional and intercontinental

network. It is the largest carrier of international voice traffic in the Middle East and Africa and the

12th largest voice carrier in the world. Etisalat is the largest comprehensive provider of carrier

and wholesale services in the region with Points of Presence (PoP) in New York, London,

Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris and Singapore providing a truly global reach. Etisalat has 520

roaming agreements connecting 185 countries enabling BlackBerry, 3G and voice roaming.

Etisalat DB Telecom India Pvt. Ltd. Infinity Towers, 5th Floor, A-Wing, Mindspace, Link Road, Malad (West), Mumbai – 400064

www.coai.in 43


MD: Mr. Sanjeev Aga Email: [email protected] Website: www.ideacellular.com

Operational Service Areas: Delhi (Metro), Mumbai (Metro), Kolkata (Metro), Chennai (Metro),




About Idea IDEA Cellular is a publicly listed company, having listed on BSE & NSE in March 2007. It is the

3rd largest mobile services operator in India, in revenue terms, & reported 64 mn subscribers as

on end March‘10. It became a pan-India integrated GSM operator covering the entire telephony

landscape of the country, and expanded its NLD and ILD operations in FY 2010. During the

year, Idea increased its revenue market share by over 1%, despite stiff tariff war in the market.

Idea’s strong growth in the Indian telephony market comes from its deep penetration in non-

urban & rural markets. Idea has the highest share of rural subscribers as a % of total

subscribers, amongst other GSM players. Idea’s innovative and revolutionary VAS offering has

been a major growth driver. Be it Mobile TV, which was launched for the first time in India on the

Idea network; exhaustive Music library in multiple languages; DTs/ RBTs; and other content

download from the world of Cinema, Music, Cricket etc. – Idea has consistently grown its VAS

revenue. Its revenue share of VAS is now higher than the industry average.

Idea offers seamless coverage to roaming customers nationally or internationally. Idea’s

partnership with over 400 operators ensures that customers are always connected while on the

move, within the country or other parts of the world. IDEA is the winner of ‘The Emerging

Company of the Year Award’ at The Economic Times Corporate Excellence Awards 2009, the

prestigious Avaya GlobalConnect Award for being the ‘Most Customer Responsive Company’ in

the Telecom sector in the year 2010.

Idea Cellular Limited ‘Windsor’ 5th Floor Off CST Road, Near Vidya Nagari, Kalina, Santacruz (East) Mumbai 400098

www.coai.in 44


CEO: Sandeep Basu Email: [email protected] Website: www.loopmobile.in Operational Service Areas: Mumbai (Metro)

About Loop Mobile (Erstwhile BPL Mobile) Currently operating in the Mumbai circle, Loop Mobile serves > 3 mn satisfied subscribers. It

has the distinction of being one of the longest serving mobile networks in the country, serving

the communication needs of the financial capital for 15 uninterrupted years. Loop Mobile has

won several accolades for excellence in customer service and for setting high benchmarks in

operations. It is one of the very few mobile service providers nationally to have not only met all

benchmarks but exceeded on parameters set by TRAI. It had also been rated as the best

network by IDC Voice & Data magazine in 2003-2004. Loop Mobile was adjudged as one of the

top 5 admired and trusted telecom service brands in the country by the ET Brand Equity Survey

in 2003-2004.

Since inception, it has been at the forefront of launching pioneering services. Loop Mobile has

had several firsts to its credit in the VAS space which are technologically state-of-art and yet

customer friendly. It revolutionized the market further by launching epaid – a new line of service

and combining the benefits of prepaid and post paid services. Recently Loop Mobile re-

launched the ‘1 paise per second’ billing plan, as well as transformed the per-second plan with

’Mumbai ka Gang’ wherein subscribers could make a call at 10paise per minute.

Loop Mobile has one of the largest roaming footprints with 450 International tie-ups, 150 GPRS

international tie-ups & 40 prepaid (Camel) tie-ups. It has an enviable post-paid consisting of the

cream of high value individual and corporate customers serviced through a dedicated

relationship team. Loop Mobile offers an innovative CUG product on prepaid branded as

DusKaGang which is targeted at the youth and promoted thru a unique direct contact program

across 200 colleges. Loop Mobile has recently launched a new all-in-one product that delivers

higher value to prepaid customers under the name SmartPaid.

Loop Mobile (India) Limited 127 Manmala Tank Road, Talkawadi Mahim (W), Mumbai – 400 016

www.coai.in 45


CEO: Mr. Shamik Das Email: [email protected] Website: www.stel.in Service Area: Himachal Pradesh, Bihar & Orissa

About S Tel S-Tel has obtained UASL to provide telecom services across 6 Category 'C' circles (namely

Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, North East and Orissa) and Category “A”

All India ISP license for roll-out of Internet services pan India. It has launched commercial

operations in 3 circles in December last year & is expected to make other circles operational by

July 2010. S Tel has a subscriber base of 1.2 Million as of May 2010.

S-Tel has also obtained 3G Service licenses for HP, Bihar and Orissa circles which has placed

S-Tel as one among India’s leading Seven 3G Operators group. Besides, it is the only new

operator having 3G spectrum to offer high speed 3G Services. S-Tel is part of Chennai based

Siva Group, whose Chief Mentor is Shri C Sivasankaran. Siva Group is a USD 3 billion

Group,with diversified business interests in sectors like telecommunication, renewable energy,

shipping & logistic, hospitality & realty, media, EPC, agro business etc. Siva Group currently

owns a majority stake in the equity capital of S Tel and has management control in the

company.

BMIC Limited (erstwhile known as Batelco Millennium India Company Limited) which is a 100%

subsidiary of Batelco Group of Government of Bahrain is the JV partner and presently holds

42.7% equity capital of S Tel. Batelco Group is an established telecom company, operating out

of Bahrain with a significant presence in other Middle-East markets and Africa. It has vast

experience in telecom sector, especially in the developing markets. Batelco is a listed public

company incorporated in 1981 in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Batelco is one of the first mobile

telecom operators in the Middle East having launched GSM services in 1995 and has more than

15 years’ experience in the field. It provides range of communication services including mobile,

national & international telephony, business network services, and internet & satellite services.

S Tel Private Limited 1st Floor Tower B, Unitech Cyberpark, Sector-39 Gurgaon (Haryana)- 122001

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MD: Mr. Anil Kr. Sardana Email: [email protected] Website: www.tatateleservices.com Operational Service Areas: Mumbai (Metro), Kolkata (Metro), Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat,

Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa,

Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh (E), Uttar Pradesh (W), West Bengal.

About Tata Teleservices Tata Teleservices Limited spearheads the Tata Group’s presence in the telecom sector.

Incorporated in 1996, TTSL is the pioneer of the CDMA 1x technology platform in India. TTSL

now also has presence in GSM space, through its joint venture with NTT DOCOMO of Japan,

and offers differentiated products and services under the TATA DOCOMO brand name. TATA

DOCOMO has received a pan-India license to operate GSM telecom services—and has also

been allotted spectrum in 18 telecom Circles. The company has rolled out GSM services in 17

of India’s 22 telecom Circles in the quick span of just over ten months. The company plans to

launch pan-India operations shortly.

TATA DOCOMO marks a significant milestone in the Indian telecom landscape, and has

already redefined the very face of telecoms in India, being the first to pioneer the per-second

tariff option—part of its ‘Pay for What You Use’ pricing paradigm. Tokyo-based NTT DOCOMO

is one of the world’s leading mobile operators—in the Japanese market, the company is the

clear market leader, used by over 50 per cent of the country’s mobile phone users.

In December 2008, Tata Teleservices announced a unique reverse equity swap strategic

agreement between its telecom tower subsidiary, Wireless TT Info-Services Limited, and

Quippo Telecom Infrastructure Limited—with the combined entity kicking off operations with

18,000 towers, thereby becoming the largest independent entity in this space—and with the

highest tenancy ratios in the industry. Today, the combined entity has a portfolio of nearly

35,000 towers.

Tata Teleservice Ltd. Blocks A, E & F, Voltas Premises, Chinchpokli, Mumbai.

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Contact Person: Ashok Sud, Chief Regulatory Officer Email: [email protected] Website: www.uninor.in Operational Service Areas: Mumbai (Metro), Kolkata (Metro), Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat,

Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh (E), Uttar Pradesh (W),

West Bengal.

About Uninor Uninor is the brand name for Unitech Wireless, a company owned by the Norway based world’s

6th largest mobile services provider Telenor Group and India’s second largest diversified real

estate major Unitech Ltd. The Telenor Group has invested INR 6135.63 crores through new

shares to hold 67.25% majority stake in the company.

The company holds a pan-India UAS license to offer mobile telephony services in each of

India’s 22 circles. It has also received spectrum to roll out these services in 21 of the 22 circles.

At present, Uninor services are available in the thirteen circles of UP (West), UP (East), Bihar

(including Jharkhand), Kolkata, West Bengal, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra

Pradesh, Mumbai, Maharashtra (including Goa) and Gujarat.

The Telenor Group has over 150 years of telecom experience. The Group’s 45,000 employees

are present in 14 countries worldwide with 179 million mobile subscriptions as of Q1 2010. A

dominant position in markets similar to India, allows the Telenor Group to deploy existing

competencies in distribution, targeted offerings, customer lifecycle management and

organization culture in the Indian context.

As India’s second largest diversified real estate major with over 30 years of presence across

locations nationwide, the Unitech Group comes in as a partner with decades of consumer facing

experience in the Indian market, bringing with it deep insights into business as well as consumer

marketing in the diverse Indian market. The company also features in the National Stock

Exchange’s bell weather S&P CNX Nifty Index.

Unitech Wireless Sector 54, Golf Course Road, DLF Phase V, Opposite IBIS Hotel Gurgaon - 122002

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CMD: Shri. R.N. Dhoot Email: [email protected] Website: www.videocon.com Operational Service Areas: Mumbai (Metro), Kolkata (Metro), Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat,

Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh (E), Uttar Pradesh (W),

West Bengal.

About Videocon Videocon Mobile Services is a next-generation GSM mobile service network launched by the

Rs.25,000 crore Videocon Group. The brand will soon be present across India. The company

has partnered with global technology leaders to create a robust infrastructure featuring future

ready mobile technologies. Powered by a 2.75G EDGE GSM network, Videocon Mobile

Services aims to redefine the Indian mobile telecommunications industry leveraging a

combination of the parent company’s strong brand recall and retail reach with a spirit of

innovation and customer centricity.

The Videocon Group is a global business conglomerate with a strong presence in Household

Consumer Goods, Telecom, DTH, Retail, Oil & Gas and the Power sector. The Group is rated

among India’s Top 15 Business Houses and is listed among the 100 Emerging Giants of the

World according to a Boston Consulting Group study in addition to being rated amongst the Top

15 of India’s ‘buzziest brands’ by agencyfaqs in 2010.

Videocon Mobile Services # 248, Udyog Vihar Phase IV, Gurgaon – 122 015

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MD: Mr. Marten Pieters Email: [email protected] Website: www.vodafone.in Operational Service Areas: Delhi (Metro), Mumbai (Metro), Kolkata (Metro), Chennai (Metro),




About Vodafone Essar Vodafone Essar is the Indian subsidiary of Vodafone Group. It commenced operations in 1994

when its predecessor Hutchison Telecom acquired cellular license for Mumbai. It has grown

from a single city operation to a nationwide presence & now has operations across the country

covering 85% of population & has > 106.34 mn customers as of May’ 10. It also has a strong

presence in rural areas with > 38 mn rural subscribers as of May’10. It has also recently

acquired 3G spectrum in 9 service areas.

Vodafone is the world's leading international mobile communications group with approximately

341 million proportionate customers as on 31 March 2010. Vodafone currently has equity

interests in 31 countries across five continents and around 40 partner networks worldwide.

Vodafone entered India in 2007. The Essar Group, a diversified business corporation with a

balanced portfolio of assets in the manufacturing and services sectors across the world, is

Vodafone’s principal partner in India.

Vodafone Essar in India consists of 8 Legal Entities and also owns 42% of Indus Towers

Limited a key provider of passive infrastructure services in India. Some achievements of

Vodafone are Most Admired Marketing Company in India [Economic Times +IMRB], OpCo of

the Year, Grand Prix and 5 singles at the Vodafone Creative Awards, Pug was awarded

Campaign of the Decade [ET Now], Most awarded brand at the ABBY’s – 13 medals, Gold at

Spikes Asia for Integrated Campaign, Client of the Year at Effie’s, Amongst Top 3 Marketers in

India [Pitch], and many more.

Vodafone Essar Limited Peninsula Corporate Park Ganpat Rao Kadam Marg Lower Parel, Mumbai – 400 013

www.coai.in 50


Director: Col. U. C. Dutta

Email: mailto:[email protected]@aipl.net

Website: www.aipl.net

About Aster Aster Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. (AIPL), incorporated in the year 2002, is a leading independent

owner and provider of passive telecom infrastructure for the mobile services and wireless sector

in India. AIPL is a Category I Infrastructure Provider (IP-I) registered with the Department of

Telecommunications, Government of India. AIPL is now fully owned by a Private Equity Fund

Management Company, NSR (New Silk Route).

AIPL currently operates in 14 telecom circles including Karnataka, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, UP

(East), Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Tamilnadu, Orissa, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Assam

and Maharashtra with a total of approximately 1000 operational sites. AIPL plans to add another

1000+ sites in the current financial year.

With operational efficiencies and maximum uptime to operators, AIPL has been able to achieve

significant sharing in its existing portfolio with a tenancy ratio of 1.57 and will continue to focus

on providing maximum value add to its customers.

B. COAI Associate Members

Aster Infrastructure Pvt. Limited 25 & 26A, 2nd Crescent Road, Sainikpuri, Secunderabad – 500 094

www.coai.in 51


MD: Mr. Amit Sharma Email: [email protected] Website: www.americantower.com About ATC India ATC India is a subsidiary of American Tower Corporation, which is one of the oldest and the

largest Independent tower companies worldwide.

Founded in 1995, American tower Corporation (NYSE: AMT) is a leading wireless and

broadcast infrastructure company with a portfolio of over 29,000 communication sites, including

wireless communications towers, broadcast communications towers and distributed antenna

systems (DAS). Our portfolio includes over 22,000 sites in the United States and a growing

asset base in Mexico, Brazil and India. In addition to wireless and broadcast towers, American

Tower is also a leader in developing and deploying neutral host DAS solutions that serve some

of the most popular malls and casino/resorts across the United States. We also manage rooftop

and tower sites for third parties in the United States, Mexico and Brazil and offer complete

network deployment services to support our customers’ deployment goals.

ATC India started operations in 2007 and has grown both organically and inorganically. By year

end ATC India will have a portfolio of 10,000 with industry leading tenancy.

We would also highlight here that we have been in the tower leasing business for more than 15

years, and we have the longest experience globally in running this business. The key value-add

that we are able to deliver to our customers in India, is our strong processes and systems. We

not only identify, but also deliver the maximum co-locations opportunities on our sites which

help our customers save tremendously on their OPEX.

ATC Tower Company of India Pvt. Ltd. S2 Level, Upper Ground Floor, Block – F, International Trade Tower, Nehru Place, New Delhi – 110019

www.coai.in 52


President: Mr. Gowton Achaibar Contact: Mr. P Balaji, Vice President- Comm, Corporate Affairs & Business Development Email: [email protected] Website: www.ericsson.com About Ericsson Ericsson, the world's leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators is the

market leader in 2G and 3G mobile technologies. Supplying communications services and

managing networks that serve more than 350 million subscribers, Ericsson’s portfolio comprises

mobile and fixed network infrastructure, and broadband and multimedia solutions for operators,

enterprises and developers.

Ericsson’s strong value-based culture of working hand-in-hand with its customers has made it a

preferred partner for virtually every Indian telecom operator. In fact, Ericsson is the undisputed

market leader in the GSM space with nearly 40% market share.

2009 was a hugely successful year for Ericsson which saw it accomplishing several milestones

and securing the trust and business of operators – for which it was felicitated with the Voice and

Data and CMAI awards for being the largest Telecom Vendor. Ericsson extended its

relationships with customers and picked up key deals in several areas such as GSM and 3g

networks, charging, IN, broadband and managed services. During the year, Ericsson also

expanded its footprint by winning successful deals in countries such as Bhutan and launched

several innovative pilots with key partners as testimony to its vision of ‘communications for all’.

As a true and undisputed industry leader, Ericsson led the industry in focussing on power and

spectrum efficient solutions to add value to its customers. Investment in factory

operations(Ericsson was the first company to manufacture GSM equipment in India), R&D and

building global services centre have been significant.

Headquartered in the prestigious industrial hub of Gurgaon, Haryana, Ericsson India Pvt. Ltd.

employs over 5000 people across 25 locations, reflecting the rich cultural tapestry of India.

Ericsson India Pvt. Ltd. DLF Cyber City, Sector 25A Gurgaon - 122002

www.coai.in 53


CEO: Mr. Madhur Taneja Email: [email protected] Website: Essar Group: www.essar.com About ETIPL Essar Telecom Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd (ETIPL) is a part of the Essar Group which is a diversified

business corporation with a presence in the manufacturing and services sectors through Steel,

Energy, Power, Communications, Shipping Ports and Logistics, Construction and Mining and

Minerals. Essar employs more than 50,000 people across offices in Asia, Africa, Europe and the

Americas.

ETIPL is registered with the Department of Telecommunications as an Infrastructure Provider

Category-I (IP-I). ETIPL is currently present across 13 of the 22 Telecom circles in India and is

looking to expand operations in the remaining circles. ETIPL has got MSAs/ Term-sheets with

all the leading Mobile and Broadband Operators in India, viz. Airtel, BPL, BSNL, IDEA, Tata,

Spice, Vodafone, Aircel, etc. and is one of the active participants in the COAI’s Project “MOST”

initiative. ETIPL has a senior and experienced Project Management Team and has built an

efficient Supply Chain Management which has a wide Vendor base to enable quick ramp up of

projects. ETIPL is committed to providing the highest level of service quality and timely

implementation of projects using one of the best automated systems and processes.

ETIPL has a tower portfolio of ~4000 towers, located mostly in Metros and Class ‘A’ cities.

ETIPL tenancy ratio stands at 1.58x (as of Mar’09), among the highest in the industry and is a

key driver of profitability in the tower business. ETIPL is looking to grow aggressively and

towards this, apart from organic growth, is also keen on inorganic growth through acquisition of

tower portfolios of other companies. ETIPL has also been exploring opportunities in international

markets like Kenya and other countries in the African and Asian sub-continents.

ETIL’s service portfolio includes:

• Passive Telecom Infrastructure on BOO (Build-Own-Operate) model capable of being

shared by multiple operators

• In-Building Solutions (IBS)

• Network Engineering & Optimization Services (NEOS) for Service Providers

Essar Telecom Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. Essar Techno Park, Bldg.-“B”, 1st Floor BKC- LBS Road Junction, Kurla (W), Mumbai 70

www.coai.in 54


COO: Mr. Prakash Ranjalkar Email: [email protected] Website: www.gtlinfra.com About GTL Infra GTL Infrastructure Limited (GTL Infra), a Global Group enterprise, is in the business of Shared

Passive Telecom Infrastructure in India. The company has a portfolio of over 32,500 towers and

post the transaction with Reliance Infratel is expected to have over 80,000 towers. The towers

located across semi urban and rural India will help bringing in connectivity at affordable prices to

the poorest of poor, creating a positive impact on Indian economy.

GTL Infra is a publicly listed company (BSE: 532775 & NSE: GTL Infra), and has emerged as

the world’s largest independent tower company in India. It is registered with the Department of

Telecommunications as an Infrastructure Provider in Category I (IP-I).

GTL Infra has a portfolio of towers serving all the major cellular operators and is associated with

prestigious projects being promoted by DoT and COAI such as USO (Universal Services

Obligation Fund) for rural telecom infrastructure and MOST (Mobile Operator Shared Tower). In

phase 1 of the USO tendering process, GTL Infra has emerged as the leading independent

tower infrastructure player.

Our business model of infrastructure sharing is based on building, owning, operating and

maintaining the passive telecom infrastructure sites capable of hosting multiple service

providers. The model enables the operator to convert their capital expenditure to a fixed and

predictable operational expenditure allowing them to divert precious capital towards core

activities.

GTL Infra has won several awards and recognitions like the “Best Independent Infrastructure

Provider” from Tele.Net, “Innovative Infrastructure Company of the year” by CNBC TV18 and

“Top Independent Infrastructure Provider of India” by V&D.

GTL Infrastructure Ltd. Maestros House, MIDC Building No. 2 Sector 2, Millenium Business Park Mahape, Navi Mumbai -400710

www.coai.in 55


President & CEO: Mr. T. K. Basu Email: [email protected] Website: www.indiateleinfra.com About ITIL India Telecom Infra Ltd (ITIL) is 50-50 joint venture between TVS Interconnect System Limited

(“TVS-ICS”), part of the 99 year old TVS Group, and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services

Limited (“IL&FS “).

ITIL is a leading pan India independent Telecom Infrastructure Service provider having

developed over the years the requisite Capabilities & Competencies in the field with huge

capital investments committed by the Promoters. ITIL has long term passive infrastructure hiring

contracts with all the active licensed telecom operators, with proven ability to work with its

customers across the country covering 22 Telecom Circles. It has a large foot print of

strategically located ready-to-use telecom tower sites where multiple operators can plug in their

active equipments & start operations immediately, thereby enjoying the benefits like reduced

roll-out time, optimized CAPEX and shared OPEX.

The major strengths of ITIL are customer centric proven management team - Subject matter

Expertise, Strong business relationships, Robust internal business processes, ERP & NOC

Enabled operations, Group Synergy, Efficient & Effective Sourcing through long term vendor

relationships and proven RF & Market Planning Expertise.

ITIL’s scope of Activities includes end to end Site acquisition, program management and

Construction, Commissioning and Maintenance of Telecom infrastructure. This includes

compliance to all relevant statutory and regulatory approvals. The O&M is aided by state of the

art centralized NOC based remote site management application supporting green energy

management initiatives.

India Telecom Infra Limited Bagmane Laurel, Block - B 7th Level, 6th Floor, Bagmane Tech Park, C.V. Raman Nagar, Bangalore-560093, India

www.coai.in 56


CEO : Mr. B S Shantharaju Email: [email protected] Website: www.industowers.com

About Indus Indus Towers is engaged in the business of providing passive infrastructure & related

operations & maintenance to various telecommunications operators in India on a shared basis

across 16 telecom circles & covers >75% of teledensity of India It is headquartered at Gurgaon

& offers services to all telecom operators in the wireless space and other wireless service

providers such as broadcasters & broadband service providers. It has a portfolio of >100,000

towers & is the largest tower company of the world, ensuring significant scale benefits for its

customers by way of ‘Speed to Market’ & ‘Wider Coverage’.

The key deliverables of Indus towards its customers are timely deployment- Enabling rollout of

telecom services by operators & Uptime of Sites – Assuring a high uptime of sites to ensure

high network availability on 24 x 7 basis. Recently Indus was awarded “Infrastructure Excellence

Award 2010 in Telecom” in the Essar Steel Infrastructure Excellence awards held at Delhi in

March’10. Indus was also awarded “Growth Excellence Award in the Passive Telecom

Infrastructure Market” by Frost & Sullivan on 10th December 2009 under the “Best Practices

Award” category.

Indus Towers Limited was incorporated in November 2007 and commenced its business on 1st

May 2008. In less than 2 years of its existence, Indus has not only grown in size but also

established itself as a market leader in its true sense. Indus Towers Limited has been promoted

under a joint venture between entities of Bharti Group (rendering telecom services in India

under the brand name Airtel), Vodafone Group (rendering telecom services under the brand

name Vodafone) and Aditya Birla Telecom (rendering telecom services under the brand name

Idea), to render passive infrastructure services to telecom service providers. Three competitors

coming together to form an alliance, is another uniqueness of Indus .This has fostered a

collaborative culture which treats its customers with empathy and non discrimination.

Indus Towers Limited Building No. 10, Tower-A, 4th Floor, DLF Cyber City, Gurgaon 122 002 India

www.coai.in 57


Country Head: Mr. Urs Pennanen Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com/global/ About Nokia Siemens Networks NSN is a leading global enabler of communications services. In India, NSN is a leading

communication technology & services partner for 10 operators, namely Aircel, Bharti Airtel,

BSNL, Defense, Idea, Railways, Tata, Uninor, Videocon & Vodafone. Connecting > 170 mn

subscribers on its equipment, NSN is also the market leader in Managed Services, Packet Core

& GSM-R in India.

NSNs’ operations in India include Sales & Marketing in Gurgaon & Mumbai, R&D in Bengaluru,

Manufacturing in Chennai & Kolkata, Global Services hub in Noida, 2 GNSC in Noida &

Chennai, remotely run network operations for almost 1/3rd of the 350m subscribers managed by

NSNs Managed Services business. Global product management & centralized global centers

for bid management in Gurgaon & Bengaluru. It employs >13,000 persons in India of which

close to 10,000 people focus on India customers only, with a very large field force based out of

50 principal offices & 177 locations.

Nokia Siemens Network’s R&D set up in Bengaluru, India staffing 2300 people is one of the

largest global R&D units for the company and hosts one of 3 shared reference labs. An

innovation hub, the R&D centre focuses on Radio, Core, Charging, Network Management and

Application software solutions. A 84,000 sq mt manufacturing facility in Oragdam, Chennai is

one of NSNs large scale, state-of-the-art production unit focusing on 2G and 3G radio, core and

transmission equipment for India & other regions. A 2nd factory in Kolkata manufactures fixed

line equipment.

NSN was rated 4th best telecom employer in India by a leading business publication as it

continues to witness a high engagement index with its people. The company launched many

competence development, talent management, personal growth, leadership and engineer

trainee programs focused at developing and empowering people.

Nokia Siemens Networks 7th Floor, Building 9A, DLF Cyber City, DLF Phase III, Gurgaon 122002 (Haryana) India

www.coai.in 58


Group President-Quippo & MD-QTIL: Mr. Arun Kapur Email: [email protected] Website: www.quippoworld.com About Quippo Telecom Infrastructure Limited (QTIL) Quippo-WTTIL is pioneer in Shared Passive Telecom Infrastructure industry in India. Promoted

by Kanorias of SREI Group, company was set-up with a mission to provide innovative shared

telecom infrastructure solutions leveraging world-class technologies to all telecom service

providers.

Having pioneered the concept of telecom infrastructure sharing with less than 100 towers in

2005, Quippo-WTTIL today has become world’s largest independent telecom infrastructure

company with a portfolio of > 39000 towers across all circles in country, & with plans of rolling

out nearly 25-30,000 additional towers in next 2 years. It has by far the highest tenancy of > 2

tenants per tower. It is also the strongest player in neutral host shared IBS. In 2009, QTIL

announced its partnership with TTSL with the merger of their passive infrastructure

businesses, resulting in formation of Quippo-WTTIL. It further strengthened its leadership

position with acquisition of the tower arm of TTML in early 2010.

The shared solutions help telecom operators in saving costs through reduced capex and opex,

at the same time result in faster roll-out of their services. Innovative solutions such as IBS and

BTS Hotels are going to further strengthen the product portfolio of Quippo-WTTIL in the future.

As a responsible corporate, Quippo-WTTIL has also undertaken various initiatives to conserve

energy and the environment. The company has already made sizeable investments in R&D

activities to tap alternate energy sources such as solar energy, fuel cells, fuel saver catalysts

and CNG to save energy, that have resulted in offering energy related cost benefits to the

operator partners.

With a vision to be the “Most Valuable Independent Shared Infrastructure Company Globally”,

the company has received strong support from reputed investors such as GIC Singapore

(owned by the Singapore Government), IDFC Private Equity, Oman investment Fund (OIF) - an

investment arm of the Government of the Sultanate of Oman, Roaring Investments Pte. Ltd.,

Geraldton Finance Ltd. & AMP Capital.

Quippo Telecom Infrastructure Ltd. D-2, Southern Park, Saket Place, Saket, New Delhi - 110017

www.coai.in 59


Director of Operations: Mr. Sudhir Prasad Email: [email protected] Website: www.tower-vision.com About Tower Vision Tower Vision India Private Limited is an independent Telecom Infrastructure Management

company, holding IP 1 license and is engaged in the business of providing passive telecom

infrastructure on the basis of long term operational lease. It has developed strong business

alliances with various prominent players in India to facilitate rapid expansion of

telecommunications infrastructure management services in India and set new standards in this

field.

Tower Vision’s core offering consists of acquisition, development, maintenance and asset

management of telecommunication towers on the basis of BOO and sharing of telecom

infrastructure. In accordance with this model, Tower Vision has the distinction of executing,

among others, India's first and largest BOO contract awarded to an independent tower

management company by a single operator, and has also formed business partnerships with

practically all active cellular operators in the country.

Covering the Northern and Southern states, Tower Vision is already well rooted to provide

passive infrastructure across the country. Combining both international and local expertise,

Tower Vision brings strong technical and capital raising capabilities, providing its clients with the

necessary comfort in its ability to build, own and operate large numbers of telecom sites.

Currently Tower Vision owns over 5000 towers spread across India with approximately 8000

active tenants.

Tower Vision India Pvt. Ltd. Plot 356, Udyog Vihar Phase IV Gurgaon, 122015

www.coai.in 60


380

113

44

411

144

Subs

crib

erB

ase

(Mili

ons)

Year

lySu

bscr

iber

sA

dditi

ons

(Mill

ions

)

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wth

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e(%

)

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utes

of

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ge

A

RPU

(Rs

pe

r mon

th)

Source: COAI / TRAI Performance Indicator Report - Dec’09 Source: COAI

Industry added record highest number of 122 Million GSM subscribers during 2009. India recorded the highest monthly GSM subscriber addition of over 13 Million.

VII. Indian GSM Cellular Industry – An Overview

A. GSM Industry Indicators for 2009

B. All India GSM Cellular Subscriber Base

37.3758.50

105.42

171.80

258.00

380.40

Dec'04 Dec'05 Dec'06 Dec'07 Dec'08 Dec'09

www.coai.in 61


10.2

513

.50

11.5

82.

03

13.9

620

.47

19.2

54.

81

20.0

7 37.4

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7

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37.6

292

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95.9

232

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.60

129.

3614

5.63

55.8

5

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Mill

ions


All Metros A' Circle B' Circle C' Circle

Source: COAI

3.26 5.

465.

531.

14 3.71 6.

71 7.67

2.78 6.

1016

.96

17.8

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96 8.05

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123

.34

0.00

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

50.00

60.00

Mill

ions


All Metros A' Circle B' Circle C' Circle

Source: COAI

Circle C’ recorded highest growth rate of 70% in Net Additions in 2009.

C. All India GSM Cellular Subscriber Base – Circle wise

D. All India GSM Cellular Subscribers – Net Additions

www.coai.in 62


0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Dec'04 Dec'05 Dec'06 Dec'07 Dec'08 Dec'093.83 5.06 7.40 10.10 12.41 15.843.59

5.006.45

8.30

11.27

14.88

1.46 2.09

3.25

5.20

6.88

8.41

1.35 1.802.94

4.48

7.05

10.47

Mill

ions

Delhi Mumbai Chennai Kolkata

Source: COAI

20%

25%

31%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Mill

ions

2007 2008 2009

Source : COAI

Proportion of Rural Subscribers to the total GSM subscriber at the end of the corresponding years is increasing.

E. All India GSM Cellular Subscribers – Metros

F. GSM Rural Subscribers as % to GSM Subscriber Base

www.coai.in 63


Uninor 0.32% Stel 0.04%

Reliance Telecom 4.14%

MTNL 1.20%

Aircel 8.15%

BSNL 15.04%

IDEA 15.14% Vodafone Essar 24.02%

Bharti 31.24%

Loop Mobile 0.70%

Source: COAI Source : COAI/TRAI Performance Indicator Report- Dec’09

G. Market Share of GSM Operators

H. Teledensity (Total Mobile)

110.96

102.79

95.0589.44

82.1577.35

72.01

47.88

28.3330.64 33.23

36.9839.86 43.5

21.1618.4616.6114.93

12.7211.1310.12

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Jun'08 Sep'08 Dec'08 Mar'09 Jun'09 Sep'09 Dec'09

Urban Total Rural

www.coai.in 64


120456

169

681304

1293

440

1828

807

3122

1185

4566

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Mar-10

MSC BSC

Source: COAI

1864

348

498

3516

5

1609

64

7131

538

4906

1155

61

4787

07

2199

54

3477

44

3706

85

5900

78

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Mar-10

BTS Backbone (Kms)

Source: COAI BTS data is reflective of the active infrastructure and not passive infrastructure

I. Infrastructure Growth (MSC & BSC)

J. Infrastructure Growth (BTS & Backbone)

www.coai.in 65


396370

316

261

220

144

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Rs.


Source: COAI / TRAI Performance Indicator Report - Dec’09

302341

368

464496

411

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Min

utes

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Source: COAI – TRAI Performance Indicator Reports – Dec’08

K. Average Revenue Per User

L. Minutes of Usage Per Subscriber Per Month

www.coai.in 66


Source: industry consensus estimates, KPMG analysis 2009 Source: Industry consensus estimates, KPMG analysis 2009

M. Growth of VAS Revenues (Total Mobile)

N. SMS versus Non-SMS VAS (Total Mobile)

817

1106

1249

61 91 119 153

1390

8.2%7.5%

9.5%

11.0%

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

2008 2009 2010E 2011E

INR billion

0.0%

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

12.0%

Industry Revenues VAS Revenues Share of VAS

36%

64%

SMS VAS

Non-SMS VAS

www.coai.in 67


28 4876

150233

347

525

626

761

893

1019

1136

1243

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Subs

in m

illio

ns

2003A

2004A

2005A

2006A

2007A

2008A

2009A

2010P

2011P

2012P

2013P

2014P

2015P

A- Actual P-Projected Source: COAI

O. Future Projections (Total Mobile)

www.coai.in 68


Source : Merrill Lynch Global Research estimates 2009


VIII. International Trends (Total Mobile)

A. Subscriber Base (in millions)

B. Subscriber Additions (in millions)

747

525

16272 65

30 257

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Ch

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www.coai.in 69



47

33

16

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6 5 4 4

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C. Wireless Penetration

D. Average Revenue Per User

144%

115% 109%

98%

78%70%

56%

44%

0%

50%

100%

150%S

ingapore

Aust

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Mala

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www.coai.in 70


445

380 375

278

222203

164

27

0

100

200

300

400

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Ch

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India

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0.14 0.14

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E. Average Minutes of Usage Per Subscriber Per Month

F. Call Charges Per Minute

www.coai.in 71


The much awaited 3G & BWA auctions were held in April-May 2010. 71 blocks of 3G and 44

blocks of BWA were put up for auctions. Commercial services for 3G would start only from 1st

September onwards, whereas BWA service may be started before September. Public sector

operators (BSNL & MTNL) have already been given one slot of 3G spectrum in 2.1 GHz band in

all 22 circles and have started services and one slot in 2.5 GHz band for BWA services in all 22

circles and have started launching services.

3G WINNERS

Aircel Ltd.

Bharti Airtel Ltd.

Idea Cellular

Ltd.

Reliance Telecom

Ltd.

Tata Teleservices

Ltd.

S-Tel Pvt. Ltd.

Vodafone Essar Ltd.

Delhi Mumbai TN Kolkata Maharashtra Gujarat A.P. Karnataka Kerala Punjab Haryana U.P.(W) U.P.(E) Rajasthan M.P. W.B. & A & N H.P. Bihar Orissa Assam N.E. J&K Total No. of Circles 13 13 11 13 9 3 8

Pan India Price

Rs. 16, 750 crores

IX. 3G & BWA AUCTION WINNERS

www.coai.in 72


BWA WINNERS

Aircel Ltd.

Augere (Mauritius)

Ltd.

Bharti Airtel Ltd.

Infotel Broadband Services Pvt. Ltd.

Qualcomm Incorporated

Tikona Digital

Networks Pvt. Ltd.

Delhi Mumbai TN Kolkata Maharashtra Gujarat A.P. Karnataka Kerala Punjab Haryana U.P.(W) U.P.(E) Rajasthan M.P. W.B. & A & N H.P. Bihar Orissa Assam N.E. J&K Total No. of Circles 8 1 4 22 4 5

Pan India Price

Rs. 12, 848 crores

www.coai.in 73


A. COAI EXPANDING ITS HORIZON I. COAI SIGNED MOU WITH ISRAEL MOBILE ASSOCIATION ( IMA)

The two major Telecom Associations of India and Israel, i.e. COAI (Cellular Operators

Association of India), and IMA (Israel Mobile & Communications Association) came forth to

confirm the common goal of COAI and IMA to maintain and promote cooperation and

understanding in the development of trade and business relations in the field of Cellular

Telephony.

Eyal Reshef, Founder & CEO, Israel Mobile & Communications Association, and Sanjay

Kapoor, Vice Chairman, Cellular Operators Association of India, joined hands to sign a

Memorandum of Understanding on 15th February, 2010 at Barcelona in the GSMA World

Congress Meet.

The Associations believe that the common understanding in the MoU will go a long way towards

facilitating trade opportunities, joint ventures, and strategic alliances in the telecom sector

between Indian and Israeli companies and will promote the continued aggressive growth of

affordable telecom service in their respective countries. The Associations have agreed to

communicate on a regular basis to exchange views and reports on accomplishments and

developments in Cellular Telephony. COAI, believes that this alliance is definitely a step ahead

towards identification and promotion of potential opportunities for promotion of services from

both sides.

II. MARKET REPRESENTATIVE PARTNER IN 3GPP

COAI in expanding its horizon to work in sync with international bodies, became Market

Representative Partner in 3GPP, during the 3GPP partners meeting on the April 22, 2010. Mr.

T.R. Dua, Deputy Director General, COAI accepted to be the Market representative Partner of

3GPP.

X. The Year Gone By

www.coai.in 74


The purpose of 3GPP is to prepare, approve and maintain the necessary set of Technical

Specifications and Technical Reports for an evolved 3rd Generation and beyond Mobile

Systems. Further the results of the 3GPP work shall form the basis of member contributions to

the ITU in accordance with existing procedures. 3GPP shall take account of emerging ITU

recommendations on interworking between IMT-2000 family members. In the framework of

agreed relationships, the 3GPP Technical Specifications and Technical Reports will form the

basis of standards, or parts of standards, of the Organizational Partners.

The Market Representation Partner The market representation partner would offer advice to 3GPP and bring into 3GPP a

consensus view of market requirements in terms of services, features and functionality falling

into the scope of 3GPP. Market Representation Partners have the following rights:

• To participate in the work of the Project Coordination Group.

• To participate in the work of the Technical Specification Groups.

• Identify national, regional regulatory requirements that may be required to be opted

within the Technical Specifications and Technical Reports.

• To contribute to the resources necessary for the operations of 3GPP.

• Also define 3GPP system and service scenarios.

(Further this agreement between 3GPP and COAI shall remain valid until the Organizational

Partners decide otherwise)

III. MEMBERSHIP OF WIRELESS WORLD RESEARCH FORUM (WWRF)

COAI also became the member of the Wireless World Research Forum as it believes that India

being the second largest wireless network in the world should have a significant say in the

forthcoming standards. Mr. T.R. Dua, Deputy Director General, COAI accepted the

membership. The Forum is a global organization, which was founded in August 2001. The

forum now has over 140 members from five continents, representing all sectors of the mobile

communications industry and the research community.

The objective of the forum is to formulate visions on strategic future research directions in the

wireless field, among industry and academia, and to generate, identify, and promote research

areas and technical trends for mobile and wireless system technologies. WWRF is now

developing a common global vision for the future of wireless to drive research and

standardization. In addition to influencing regional and national research programmes (such as

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the European Union’s FP7 programme) WWRF members contribute to the work done within the

ITU, UMTS Forum, ETSI, 3GPP, 3GPP2, IETF, and other relevant bodies regarding commercial

and standardization issues derived from the research work.

The Forum is unique in bringing together industry and academia from across the globe in an

active discussion of new concepts, algorithms and techniques. Members discuss how new

insights will impact on provision in typical application areas and on value chains in the future.

The current research topics for WWRF are System concepts and high-level architectures,

Requirements on future mobile and wireless systems, the role of scenarios for applications and

services, Applications and services, Service categorization and service evolution, Cooperative

and ambient networks, New approaches to self-organization in networking, Meshing and multi-

hop protocols for relay-based deployment, Wideband channel measurement and modeling,

Duplexing, resource allocation and inter-cell coordination, Broadband frequency domain-based

air interfaces, Management and control architecture, scalability and stability of reconfigurable

systems, Cognitive radio and management of spectrum and radio resources in reconfigurable

networks, Business models and sustainability of re configurability, Requirements for future

service platform architectures, Determining spectrum efficiency and flexible spectrum use.

IV. MEMBERSHIP OF GLOBAL ICT STANDARDIZATION FORUM FOR INDIA (GISFI)

COAI joined the membership of the Global ICT Standardization Forum for India (GISFI) is an

Indian standardization body active in the area of Information and Communication Technologies

(ICT) and related application areas, such as energy, tele-medicine, wireless robotics,

biotechnology. Mr. T.R. Dua, Deputy Director General, COAI accepted the membership of

GISFI on behalf of COAI.

GISFI is an effort to create a new coherence and strengthen the role of India in the world

standardization process by mapping the achievements in ICT in India to the global

standardization trends. Further, GISFI is focused on strengthening the ties among leading and

emerging scholars and institutions in India and the world; to develop and cultivate a research

and development agenda for the field. GISFI addresses the research and product development

of ICT in India and provides a bridge towards the globalization of the Indian achievements; the

issues of technology, governance, and development; and a platform for raising an awareness of

the importance and the internationalization of the higher education in the field are supported by

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the joint partnership with the Government of India. The working groups organized in GISFI will

draw knowledge from academia, business, civil society, and Government/policy-making circles.

In a nutshell, GISFI encompasses the following activities:

• Drawing up provisions and requirements for the ICT standardization process to support

the establishment of agreements that:

o Give one or more solutions for a given problem and ensure a repeated use;

o Provision for a basis for future research and product developments that can

reach the global market;

o Weigh equally the interests of all involved parties.

• Not reinventing the wheel, but using existing solutions (set down in standards), which

have already been well thought out.

• Bringing India’s own procedure into line with what is normal elsewhere, so that

cooperation is simpler and purchasing cheaper.

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B. EVENTS OF THE YEAR

ACT WORKSHOPS ON SECURITY ISSUES RELATED TO MOBILE SERVICES The year 2009-10 was an eventful year for

ACT. Under the aegis of ACT, COAI and

AUSPI along with DoT organized 3 interactive Workshops on Security Issues related to Mobile Services in 2009 and 1 in 2010. The workshops organized were for

the Western Region in January 2009, for the

Southern Region in February 2009, for the

Eastern Region in March 2009 and for the

Northern Region in April 2010 respectively.

In its efforts to continuously strengthen and improve the systems and processes related to

security and law & order, the industry felt that it was essential for the Government, Security

Agencies and the industry to come to a common platform and have deliberate discussions to

streamline the processes in order to meet the

end objectives of all the stakeholders. The

workshops were very well attended by

representatives from all the seven Security

Agencies of the country, senior Officials

related to Security and Law and Order from

the States, Officials from DoT, TERM Cells

and the mobile industry.

These workshops served as a platform for

interactive discussions between all the attendees so that we are able to arrive at a common

understanding and implement a united initiative on the security related issues, which are of

national interest. The discussions during the workshops also resulted in certain forward looking

policy guidelines from the DoT.

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3GSM WORLD CONGRESS, BARCELONA GSM Mobile World Congress is one of the

world's largest exhibition for the mobile

industry and a congress featuring prominent

mobile operators, vendors and content owners

from across the world. The 2009 Mobile

World Congress took place from February 16,

to Thursday, February 19 2009.

As always India made its presence felt with a

strong contingent of more than 40 delegates comprising of senior officials from the Ministry,

DoT, TRAI, TDSAT and private GSM Operators and vendor companies.

The main thrust of the conference was towards the digital dividend and India featured

prominently as the one of the biggest market for rural penetration and Mobile Broadband.

Another milestone witnessed during the world congress 2009 was announcement of a cross-

industry standard for a universal charger for new mobile phones. GSMA and 17 leading mobile

operators and manufacturers committed that the mobile industry adopts a common format for

mobile phone charger connections and energy-efficient chargers resulting in an estimated 50

per cent reduction in standby energy consumption.

COAI ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2009, NEW DELHI The COAI Annual General Meeting was held on Friday, 29th May 2009, at Hotel

Imperial, New Delhi. All members of COAI

General Body attended the meeting. Mr.

Asim Ghosh in his address stated that he had

been in the telecom sector for nearly 11

years and had participated actively in the

various activities of the Association.

Mr. Asim Ghosh was felicitated for his invaluable contributions to the industry. He said that, it

had been a privilege to be the Chairman of COAI, and deeply appreciates the support and

cooperation provided by all members towards attaining milestones the industry. On the

occasion of the COAI AGM, Ms. Suneeta Reddy, Chairperson Aircel Group and Mr. Sanjay

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Kapoor CEO Bharti Airtel were unanimously elected as

the Chair & Vice Chair of COAI for the year 2009-2010.

General Body also ratified the nominations received for

the post of Executive Councilors. The COAI Annual

Benchmarking study for 2008 comprising of the

Industry overview, International comparison and best

practices was released during the AGM.

“RADIATION FROM MOBILE PHONES AND TOWERS - MYTH VS REALITY”, HYDERABAD

A workshop cum press conference on the topic

“Radiation from Mobile Phones and Towers - Myth

Vs Reality” was held jointly by COAI & AUSPI on 30th July, 2009 at Hyderabad. The workshop was

inaugurated by Mr. L.V. Subrahmanyam, IAS, Principal Secretary Health, Medical & Family

Welfare, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, and was

presided over by eminent doctors from the field of

Radiation Oncology, Dermatology, senior officials

from TEC and CEO’s of all the service providers in Andhra Pradesh. Members of the media and other distinguished guests

invited for the workshop were made familiar with the

extensive studies and research carried out by various

reputed international bodies e.g. WHO, ITU, ICNIRP.

International Commission / bodies all over the world have

concluded that there is no conclusive evidence of any

health hazards from the extremely low frequencies from

the mobile towers and phones. The doctors specialising

in various medical fields presented facts to the audience

and assured that the exposure levels from the mobile towers are so low that it cannot cause any

biological effects to the human body. The workshop and press conference was very well

received and was extensively covered by both the print and the electronic media.

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SEMINAR ON DIGITAL DIVIDEND – ROAD TO 700 MHZ, NEW DELHI

A seminar on Digital Dividend – Road to 700 MHz

was held on September 4, 2009 at the India

Habitat Centre, New Delhi. It was jointly

organised by the Cellular Operators Association

of India (COAI) along with CMAI Association of

India. The seminar was attended by major

stakeholders of the Indian telecom industry.

The main discussion during the seminar revolved around the band plan arrangement for the 700

MHz band and it was decided that a fair and well balanced reallocation of the spectrum between

the mobile broadband, broadcasting and other services will ensure that society reaps the full

social and economic benefits of the digital dividend besides the advantages of wider coverage

that accrue from this band.

WORKSHOP ON INDIAN LANGUAGE SMS, NEW DELHI

A workshop on Indian Language SMS was held on

September 23, 2009 at the India Habitat Centre,

New Delhi. It was jointly organised by the

Broadband Wireless Consortium of India (BWCI)

and the Cellular Operators Association of India

(COAI). The workshop was attended by

representatives from 50 organisations including

Industry Associations, operators, vendors, VAS

technology and services providers, ICT companies,

application developers, research organisations and government departments.

The workshop was formally inaugurated by Dr. J. S Sarma, Chairman TRAI. This was followed

by a series of technical presentations highlighting various aspects related to Indian language

SMS. The objective of the workshop was to disseminate information of a new 7-bit encoding

scheme for Indian language SMS that is now part of the 3GPP specifications and discuss the

way forward to make sure that standards-based, affordable and inter-operable Indian language

SMS is made available.

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8TH AWF MEETING, TOKYO The 8th Meeting of the APT Wireless Forum

was held from 29th March – 1st April 2010 in

Tokyo, Japan. The meeting was organized by

the APT and hosted by Ministry of Internal

Affairs and Communication, Japan. A

workshop on ‘Next General Mobile

Communication’ was also organized.

The meeting was attended by over 200

delegates drawn from the complete Region – 3

counties. Mr. T.R. Dua from COAI was a part of the Indian Delegation. This meeting was in

continuation with the last AWF – 7 meeting, held in Phuket in September 2009 and was held to

further discuss the band plan arrangement in UHF band 698 – 806 MHz and its harmonization

for Region 3 countries.

INDIA TELECOM 2009, NEW DELHI

The Fourth Edition of INDIA TELECOM was

held at Pragati Maidan, for three days from 3rd - 5th December 2009, New Delhi, India. The

theme of this years conference was promoting

Telecom for Inclusive Growth through Enterprise

and Learning. India telecom was inaugurated by

the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Dr.

Manmohan Singh in the august presence of

Thiru A Raja, Hon’ble Minister for

Communications and IT and Shri. Gurdas

Kamat, & Shri. Sachin Pilot, Hon’ble Minister of

State for Communications & IT.

The two day conference provided a platform to the delegates to learn about best practices,

global experience, exchange of innovative idea, areas of collaboration. The event also

witnessed a special session by Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, Former President of India, addressing

the delegates on the inclusive growth for telecom in India. The CEO’s roundtable was chaired

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by the young and dynamic leader, Shri. Sachin

Pilot, Hon’ble Minister of State for

Communications & IT. COAI played a key role

in conceptualizing the sessions for the

conference and the CEO’s Roundtable. COAI

also participated in the exhibition and had the

honour of being the first stall to be visited by the

Hon’ble Minister of Communication & IT.

3GSM WORLD CONGRESS, BARCELONA

The year 2010, began with the preparation

for participating in the Mobile World

Congress held once again in Barcelona

from 15th to 18th February 2010. The

theme for the world congress was “Vision in

Action”, focusing the attention of the GSM

Community towards the Mobile Broadband

and LTE technologies to revolutionize the

broadband experience on Mobile Phones.

With the 3G and BWA auctions around the corner, India was discussed extensively at various

forums and the strong Indian delegation consisting of senior officials from DoT, Regulatory

Body, TDSAT, and CEO’s and senior officials of the private GSM operators & vendors were

much in demand by the international GSM Community to understand the market dynamic and

the opportunities available in India for investment.

WORKSHOP ON LTE, CHENNAI 3GPP along with COAI organized an

international Workshop on LTE on June 1, 2010

at Hotel Le Royal Meridien, Chennai to inform

the Indian telecom industry about the latest

developments taking place within 3GPP. The

Chief Guest for the Workshop was the Hon’ble

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MoC, Thiru A. Raja. Other guests at the workshop included officials from DoT, Indian telecom

industry and international experts.

The Workshop included details about the progress made till date on the development of LTE

and an insight into the future developments in the coming year. The Workshop also delivered a

much wider overview about standards issues, operators’ requirements and deployment

aspirations.

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February 2009 News Flash – Radiation Emitted by Telco Towers are Safely Below Exposure Limits Set up by ICNIRP The COAI News Flash cited that Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission

(MCMC) demonstrated that the non-ionising radiation emitted by a Telco tower (Base Station) is

safely below exposure limits set by the International Council on Non-Ionising Radiation

Protection (ICNIRP). Thus, it also strengthens the Telecom Commission decision for the

adoption of ICNIRP guidelines, for limiting the Human exposure to EMF, for the Telecom Sector

in India.

March 2009 News Flash – WiMAX Status Update This COAI News Flash highlighted the worldwide status of WiMAX deployment. The main focus

was on operators/ countries opting out of WiMAX.

March 2009 News Flash – LTE – Network Commitments and Deployments This COAI News Flash highlighted the status of LTE commitments and deployments by

operators all over the world and also the eco-system developed by device manufacturers.

March 2009 News Flash – German Regulator Proposes Part of Digital Dividend Spectrum to Mobile The COAI News Flash drew attention to the German Regulator’s decision to speed up the roll-

out of mobile broadband, particularly in rural areas, by auctioning Digital Dividend spectrum at

790-862 MHz together with the 1.8 GHz, 2 GHz and 2.6 GHz bands. The Regulator realized that

the potential of Digital Dividend should be used quickly in order to supply the population with

broadband internet connections, particularly in rural areas.”

May 2009 Indian GSM Cellular Benchmarking Study 2008 COAI released the Price Waterhouse Coopers Benchmarking Report for 2008. The

benchmarking study is an annual feature of COAI in association with Price Waterhouse

XI. Reports/ Papers by COAI

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Coopers. It throws up many useful and interesting insights into the Indian GSM Industry’s

annual development and growth and also its comparison with the Asia Pac region.

May 2009 COAI Annual Report 2008 The COAI released its Annual Report for the year 2008 highlighting the status of the Indian

GSM Industry. The report also covered the major activities and achievements of the Association

in the previous year.

May 2009 News Flash – Mobile Subscriber Projections: 2009 – 2012 This COAI News Flash presented the mobile subscriber projections till 2012 based on the S-

curve derived from Gompertz model. The mobile subscriber base is expected to reach close to

900 mn by 2012.

June 2009 News Flash – LTE – The Preferred Technology by Public Safety Organizations for Mobile Broadband This COAI News Flash stated that 15 public safety organizations of the National Public Safety

Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) in US, unanimously voted to endorse LTE as the

favoured technology standard most suited to the development of a nationwide interoperable

broadband network in the 700 MHz public safety band.

June 2009 Report for Measurement of Electromagnetic Fields from Base Station Antennas COAI engaged experts from Thiagarajar advanced Research Center, Thiagarajar College of

Engineering, Madurai, to prepare a report for Measurement of Electromagnetic Fields from Base

Station Antennas. The report was shared with the members and TEC (Telecom Engineering

Centre) and was discussed extensively for finalization of the Generic Requirement (GR) on

“Test Procedure and measurement of Electromagnetic Fields from base station antenna.”

A field test was conducted by the said experts and COAI for the estimation of Base Station

Antenna Field Parameters i.e. Electric Field (E), Magnetic Field (H) & Power Density (S) and to

check the compliance with the ICNIRP limit. The measured values for E field, H field and

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power density were found to be Hundreds of times lower than the prescribed reference level by

ICNIRP.

July 2009 News Flash – ICNIRP Reports No Evidence of Health Hazards from Mobile Phones This COAI News Flash highlighted on the two review papers published by ICNIRP, one

addressing epidemiological evidence related to mobile phones and the other reviewing evidence

for the full radio-frequency (RF) spectrum concluding that radiations from Mobile Phones and

Cellular Towers have no adverse effect on human body.

August 2009 News Flash – LTE – Industry’s First Choice for Next Generation Mobile Networks The News Flash brought out the European Commission’s decision to start the process of

funding research on Long Term Evolution (LTE) Advanced technology as they saw strong

potential in the deployment of LTE and LTE Advanced technology.

August 2009 News Flash – ICNIRP Confirms Safety Recommendations Valid The News Flash highlighted that the International Commission on Non – Ionizing Radiation

Protection (ICNIRP) has issued a Statement in respect of the validity of the present

radiofrequency safety recommendations for limiting exposure to electromagnetic fields up to 300

GHz.

September 2009 COAI Submissions on Goods & Service Tax (GST) COAI submitted its issues and concerns on the Goods and Service Tax (GST) issues relating to

telecom sector.

October 2009 COAI Position Paper on Key Policy, Licensing, Regulatory and Taxation Issues COAI issued a Position Paper in October on key policy, licensing, regulatory and taxation issues

including direct and indirect taxes, health and environment, mobile banking, mobile number

portability, spectrum issues, etc.

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October 2009 COAI Submissions on Direct Tax Code COAI submitted it submissions on direct taxation issues related to the Indian telecom sector.

November 2009 COAI Pre-Budget Submissions for Union Budget 2010-2011 COAI submitted its pre-budget submissions for the year 2010-2011 to the Finance Ministry and

the DoT covering the direct and indirect tax issues related to the Indian mobile industry.

February 2010 News Flash – More Studies Reveal – No Evidence of Health Hazards The News Flash highlighted about the two reports, which suggested that the amount of energy

produced by cell phones is too low to cause any biological effects.

February 2010 White Paper on Role of Mobile Service Providers in Enabling Financial Inclusion COAI submitted this White Paper to DoT for the inter-ministerial committee to examine various

issues related to Mobile Banking in India. The paper highlighted the role of mobile service

providers in mobile banking, inter-operability to have common standards for m-banking

operations.

March 2010 COAI Post-Budget Submissions for Union Budget 2010-2011 COAI submitted its post-budget submissions for the year 2010-2011 to the Finance Ministry and

the DoT covering the direct and indirect tax issues related to the Indian mobile industry,

emerging out of the budget announcements for the current year or not considered by the

Finance Ministry.

March 2010 White Paper on Migration from IPv4 to IPv6 The paper highlighted the need for migration from IPv4 to IPv6, reasons fro slow uptake of IPv6

in the country. It also stated international examples on deployment of IPv6 and discussed the

drivers for growth of IPv6 and the benefits to the stakeholders.

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June 2010 News Flash – No Childhood Cancer Risks from Mobile Base Stations The News Flash drew attention towards the investigations by health authorities in Australia,

Europe and the USA, which have concluded that there was no evidence of illness linked with

living near radio transmitters and there is no pattern to suggest that children of mothers living

near a base station during pregnancy had a greater risk of developing cancer than those who

lived elsewhere.

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1. Lifetime validity: MRTPC

The MRTPC gave its order in the matter on April 16, 2009.

• A notice of enquiry was given by MRTPC on the issue of lifetime free incoming calls

being offered by some operators.

• The said notice was based on a preliminary investigation report of the Director

General of Investigation and Registration indicating that the service providers by not

mentioning the tenure of license in the scheme have adopted an unfair practice,

misleading the prospective consumers.

• On the basis of the affidavits filed by the operators stating that in all the

advertisements, the date of expiry of the license will be mentioned, the MRTPC was

pleased to close the enquiry.

2. BSNL ADC Appeals: TDSAT

• TDSAT pronounced its judgment in the matter on May 12, 2009.

• These Appeals were dismissed by the Ld. TDSAT, which held, inter alia that BSNL

has no legal right to ADC; that the ADC has rightly been designed as a depleting

regime; that the ADC was rightly terminated in the year 2008-09 and that the manner

of calculating ADC each year was fair and reasonable, given the facts available with

TRAI.

• BSNL has gone to the Supreme Court in appeal against the said judgment.

3. Interest on WPC Charges : TDSAT

• TDSAT pronounced its judgment in the matter on November 19, 2009.

• The COAI Petition was allowed by TDSAT, which held, inter alia that levy of interest

or penalty must be supported by an authority of law; and in the facts and

circumstances of the case; the demand of interest and penalty, being not authorized

under the contract, must be held to be without any authority of law.

• TDSAT has further recognized that while prior to License Amendment II there was no

authority to levy interest, such an authority existed post / after License Amendment

II. TDSAT has also recognized that License Amendment II was a proposal to insert

the words “or any other dues” in Clause 3.5 of the License Amendment II dated

25.09.2009. TDSAT has also held that any modification of a contract is permissible

when both the parties thereto agree.

XII. SUMMARY OF LEGAL UPDATES

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• The wrongful charge of interest has thus been held to be wrong / illegal i.e. being

without authority of law only upto the date of signing of the License Amendment II.

4. AGR –Application for Vacation of Stay : Supreme Court

• The Supreme Court gave its order in the matter on January 11, 2010.

• An Application for vacation of stay was filed by Bharti Hexacom & Ors against the ex

parte stay given by the Hon’ble Supreme Court on December 7, 2009 in the AGR

matter

• The Hon’ble Supreme Court negated the effect of the ex parte stay by directing that

the Applicant Respondents

a. Can continue paying the License Fee to DoT on existing basis (the new definition

of AGR as per the judgments of TDSAT dated 30.08.2007).

b. Should furnish an affidavit to the effect that if there is any deficiency, they will

make good that deficiency by making all the outstanding payments.

c. There shall be interim stay of refund of the amount already paid.

5. Jagbir Singh – Installations of towers in residential areas: Supreme Court

• The Supreme Court gave its order in the matter on January 15, 2010.

• COAI had filed a Special Leave Petition in July 2006 in the Supreme Court appealing

against an interim order dated 11.05.2006 passed by the High Court of Punjab &

Haryana at Chandigarh which had directed that there will be no further construction

of any tower except in the non-residential area.

• On January 15, 2010, the Hon'ble Supreme Court, while setting aside the direction of

the Hon'ble High Court of Punjab & Haryana (which prohibited installation of any

further towers in residential areas), was pleased to remit the matter back to the High

Court for adjudication on merits.

• The Hon'ble Supreme Court was further pleased to dismiss the PIL filed by

Karmajyot Trust, an NGO against the Union of India on the issues inter alia of

alleged health hazards and structural stability of cellular towers.

6. Telemarketing : Delhi High Court

• The Delhi High Court gave its judgment in the matter on January 15, 2010.

• An appeal had been filed by COAI and Bharti Airtel in Delhi High Court against an

Order dated 26.12.2006 by the State Commission in Nivedita Sharma vs, Bharti

Airtel.

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• The above Order was challenged by way of a Writ Petition namely Cellular Operators

Association of India and Others Versus Nivedita Sharma and Others in Civil Writ

Petition No. 583 of 2007 before the Delhi High Court.

• At the first hearing of the matter on 23.01.2007, the State Commission Order was

stayed by the High Court subject to the Petitioners depositing 50 lakhs (without

prejudice) with the Registrar and the Petitioners paying Rs. 25,000 (without

prejudice) to the Complainant.

• On January 15, 2010, the Hon’ble Delhi High Court held in favour of COAI in respect

of jurisdiction and took the State Commission to task for overstepping its limits while

stating inter alia:

i. The State Commission does not have power to levy penalty of Rs. 50 lakhs on

Cellular Operators.

ii. The State Commission does not have the power to fix any minimum

compensation of Rs. 25,000/- in each case of telemarketing calls.

iii. Any consumer forum has to adjudicate within the ambit of Consumer Protection

Act 1986 and decide the quantum of punitive damage to be awarded on a case

to case basis.

iv. The Court also remarked that the Cellular Operators must ensure that the

menace of UCC is reduced and put an end to.

• The Hon’ble Court has ordered that out of the said Rs. 50 lakhs deposited by COAI/

Bharti Airtel, Rs. 15 lakhs will be donated to some funds and the remaining Rs. 35

lakhs will be refunded to the Petitioners.

7. Tata Walky/ Reliance Unlimited Cordless : TDSAT

• TDSAT gave its judgment in the matters on March 18, 2010.

• The Ld. Tribunal has held that both the petitions filed by COAI are maintainable and

allowed while giving the following directions inter alia :

• Each petitioner should raise their provisional bills on Respondent 1 (TTSL and

Reliance) on the basis of CDR and records within 2 weeks from date.

• Parties should exchange their CDRs and meet for reconciliation of accounts.

Objection to accounts if not reconciled may be filed within 2 weeks from date of

failure of reconciliation.

• BSNL shall pay requisite amount of ADC to Cellular Operators within 2 weeks from

date of receipt of CDR bills.

• The Ld. Tribunal has further directed that the matter is to be put up after 3 months for

further directions.

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8. Quality of Service: TDSAT

• TDSAT pronounced its judgment in the matter on February 25, 2010.

• The Ld. TDSAT disposed of the appeal filed by COAI challenging the show cause

notices issued by TRAI.

• The Ld. Tribunal, therefore, while upholding the powers of TRAI to issue necessary

directions for ensuring maintenance of QOS standards, has given an indication that

our submissions that we could not comply with the same due to reasons beyond are

control, are correct and should be looked into by TRAI.

• The final observation of the Ld. TDSAT is very important wherein it says that in a

case of this nature, cooperation of all operators is necessary and TRAI shall

undertake a consultative process to obtain viewpoints of all the players in the field

and seek cooperation of all concerned, including the major players in the field. The

above observations only mean that TRAI should not only seek to prosecute for non-

compliance but should listen to the reasons for the same and try and remedy them.

9. Microwave : TDSAT

• TDSAT released its judgment in this matter on April 22, 2010 wherein the Hon’ble

Tribunal has set aside all impugned orders of DoT pertaining to hike in Microwave

Charges and the petition filed by COAI has been allowed.

• The Hon’ble Tribunal inter alia remarked that a contract cannot be challenged

unilaterally in the absence of an express provision to do so. The Tribunal has further

observed that amendment to a contract cannot be given retrospective effect.

10. AGR New Licensees : TDSAT

• TDSAT released its judgment in the matter on May 7, 2010.

• All the AGR petitions being inter related were taken for hearing together and

were disposed of by the common judgment. The Hon’ble Tribunal has allowed

these Petitions while setting aside the impugned demands of DoT and has

remarked inter alia:-

i. “Licenses for dealing with telegraphs have been granted for carrying

‘telegraph activities and, thus, we have no doubt, in our mind that for the

purpose of computation of ‘Adjusted Gross Revenue’, the licensor by no

stretch of imagination could have included any item for the purposes thereof

beyond the licensed activities of the operators.”

ii. “There cannot, however, be any doubt or dispute that ordinarily the benefit

granted to a class of litigants should be extended to all who fall within the said

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class. If in the case some of the licensees of ‘AGR’ is to be calculated on one

basis, the said principle should not be denied to be applied in the case of the

others”.

iii. “The respondent is ‘State’ within the meaning of the provision of Article 12 of

the Constitution of India. It is, therefore, constitutionally obligated to give

effect to the equality clause contained in Article 14 of the constitution.

Applying the said principle, there cannot be any doubt or dispute that effect of

a judgment, subject of-course to just exceptions, should be given equally in

favour of persons similarly situated.”

11. Carriage Charges: TDSAT

• TDSAT released its judgment in the matter on May 21, 2010.

• These two Appeals being interconnected were taken up for hearing together and

were disposed of by the common judgment.

• The Hon’ble Tribunal has allowed the BSNL appeal while stating inter alia that the

impugned orders of the TRAI cannot be sustained and consequently setting them

aside.

12. Port Charges : TDSAT

• TDSAT released its judgment in the matter on May 28, 2010 and the BSNL Appeal

was allowed to the limited extent : -

TRAI has been directed to reconsider the issue afresh and come up with new

regulation after giving proper hearing to the parties.

TRAI should also prescribe a timeline to ensure that that rates being prescribed

should also specify the period to which the same would be applicable.

However the order does not allow BSNL to levy any charge on operators for the

remaining period.

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RESEARCH: The seven TCOEs and the Coordination Centre have been in existence for close

to 2 years now. Approximately 250 faculty members and students are working on 61 projects in

diverse areas of telecom in the seven TCOEs. The projects are of short, medium and long term

durations. The M. Tech. and research scholar intake has already been increased to meet the

requirement of additional researchers. Many projects have reached the prototyping stage and

projects like the Digital Mandi for the farmers and power supply backup solutions for rural

networks are ready for commercialization. A project ‘Heart Sound Monitor’ developed at

VEICET, IIT Kharagpur has been awarded Gold Medal by Lockheed Martin India Innovation

Programme. The programme is also helping the inventor with commercialisation of the

technology developed.

CAPACITY BUILDING: The TCOEs have carried out 9 workshops and 15 short term courses

on telecom to aid capacity building in India. All workshops and courses have received a

phenomenal response from the industry as well as academia with almost all the events being

oversubscribed.

STANDARDIZATION: Work done at TICET, IITB in Segment Protection (with Tejas Networks)

is poised to lead to the starting of a new IEEE standard namely IEEE 802.1Qbf. Also, the

team’s MAC proposal on "Differentiated bandwidth request based on service class and retry

attempts" has been accepted for inclusion in the 802.16m AWD specification. CeWIT at IIT

Madras helped in piloting the proposal.

TCOE INDIA AS 4G TECHNOLOGY EVALUATOR: TCOE India has been accepted as one of

the 12 evaluating groups by ITU-R for the Radio Interface Technology Candidates for IMT-A

standards (4G technologies). As a part of this evaluation, TCOE India has developed an Open

Area Rural Model which reflects the requirements of the Indian telecom landscape. The model

has been accepted for inclusion in the international 4G standards.

POLICY ADVOCACY: Three proposals from the TCOEs have been incorporated into the 4G

pre-consultation paper of TRAI. In April 2010, a one day national workshop on developing an

agenda for a national broadband initiative was organized. The objective of the workshop was to

engage with all stakeholders including policymakers and researchers to develop the outline of a

medium term action plan and a policy research agenda. An international conference on “Driving

XIII. TELECOM CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE

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Future Transformation in Asia: Role of Telecom Policy, Regulation, Technology, and

Management” is scheduled for November 2010. This is the first conference of its kind in Asia

and aims to provide a platform for discussions on telecom policy and regulation especially

pertinent to Asia with a focus on convergence and broadband. TCOEs are also fostering greater

cooperation with the Industry and the public. TCOEs participated in India Telecom 2008 & 2009

to showcase their R&D capabilities to the prospective partners and collaborators from the

industry.

MAJOR INITIATIVES OF TCOE INDIA FOR THE GROWTH OF TELECOM ECOSYSTEM

TELECOM ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT CENTRE (TEDC): There is a shared

realization at TCOEs that the entrepreneurial energy of young Indians should be nurtured to

generate the kind of innovative telecom solutions the country needs in the coming years. To this

end, it is proposed to start a Telecom Entrepreneurship Development Centre (TEDC) with

special focus on rural telecom, with the mentoring and support of IITCOE, IIM Ahmedabad and

Coordination Centre in a public private partnership mode.

The TEDC aims at providing conducive environment comprising of necessary technical,

financial, infrastructure and mentoring support for early stage telecom start-ups aimed at

creating solutions for rural India and democratizing telecom. The goal of this initiative is to,

within the next 5 years, build at least 20 innovative and successful enterprises focused on

providing telecom solutions for rural India.

The TEDC is proposed to be a collaborative

effort between USO Fund, Telecom Centres

of Excellence Coordination Center and IIM

Ahmedabad’s CIIE and IITCOE with support

from organizations like C-DOT, all TCOEs

and other leading research labs in the

country.

The broad activities of the TEDC will be as

follows-

a) TEDC Physical Incubator

b) Incubation and Seed Funding

c) India Telecom Innovation Fund (ITIF)

Structure of the India Telecom Innovation Fund

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The returns from the initial first two years from the Fund shall be reinvested into furtherance of

the TEDC objectives along with the funds raised through private stakeholders.

TELECOM STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (TSDO): Also, as an outcome of

the IMT Advanced 4G standards evaluation, a need has been felt to to formulate Telecom

standards best suited to India’s operating conditions and needs as well as to promote Indian

service providers’ requirements and Indian IPRs into International standards. The Telecom

Standards Development Organization of India is envisaged to fulfill this need. It is intended to

be a non-profit legal entity in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode with participation from the

Government, Service Providers, Equipment Vendors, Academic and Research labs. The TSDO

shall operate along the lines of ETSI (for Europe), ARIB (Japan), TIA (USA), TTA (Korea) and

CCSA (China).

The TSDO is expected to formulate domestic standards, liaise with international bodies and

work towards influencing International standards to incorporate Indian requirements/IPRs into

telecom standards. Financial support to TSDO is planned in such a way that Government will

primarily bear the expenses towards making TSDO a national representative member in the

international bodies, while industry will bear the running expenses.

TSDO in PPP mode

CELLULAR OPERATORS ASSOCIATION OF INDIA

M

TM

14, Bhai Veer Singh Marg, New Delhi-110 001Tel. : +91 11 2334 9275 Fax : +91 11 2334 9275 / 77

E-mail : [email protected] Website : www.coai.in

coai annual report 2009-10

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