A

RESEARCH PROJECT

ON

“CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR REGARDING TELECOM SERVICE PROVIDERS IN INDIA”

Submitted to:

KURUKSHETRA UNIVERSITY, KURUKSHETRA

In the partial fulfillment of the Degree of

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

2009-2011

Under the guidance of; Submitted By:

MR. TARUN SHARMA RAVI NAIN

Faculty, M.B.A MBA Final

Roll NO.3609837

GEETA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

KANIPLA (KKR)

DECLARATION

I hereby certify that the work embodied in the project “Consumer Behaviour

regarding Telecom Service Providers in India" was done by me under the

supervision of Mr. tarun sharma, ( Faculty MBA Program, GIMT).

This project is done for the partial fulfillment of Degree of Master of Business

Administration program of Kurukshetra University Kurukshetra from GEETA

INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY, KANIPLA. I have not

submitted this report to any institute or University.

RAVI NAIN

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My sincere thanks are due to all the contributors without whose efforts this project

would not have been completed. No task of this nature is a single person effort, so I

am very thankful to Mrs. Pooja malhotra (HOD MBA programmer GIMT) for his

valuable guidance.

I owe my big thanks to Mr. tarun sharma (Faculty MBA Program, GIMT). Under

whose guidance I successfully completed my research project. Their unfailing interest

and support gave a new dimension to my work. They made it possible to collect

abundance of material, the relevant portion of which is quoted in this project.

I am also very grateful to all other Faculty of GIMT whose teaching methodology

helped me in completion of my project without any difficulty.

I also express my gratitude to the all respondent for their proper responses and

cooperation during my dissertation project.

I would like to extend my thanks to my all friends for their valuable suggestion and

cooperation at various stages during my project

RAVI NAIN

PREFACE

In the present scenario the companies required to understand their customers better to

serve them better way. So that the customers don’t move to their competitors.

So the companies should understand what the customers expect from them and what

is the satisfaction level of the customers of them are they getting what they have

expected from you.

What is the demand patterns of the customers and how fast is the customers patterns

are changing and how fastly there customers are offering new products to them to

attract the customers you have.

In this particularly study the analysis is made to examine the customers perception

towards the mobile services providers. And there perception towards the services

provides what they thinks are better services providers. What extra services they want

from there service providers. What they thinks about the service providers and their

services How the companies can improve their services.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Customer Preference

Customer Satisfaction

Telecom In India

GSM In India- A Burgeoning Market

Brand Information

Literature review

Significance of study

Objectives of Study

Research methodology

Data Analysis & Interpretation

Findings

Limitations of the study

Conclusion

Suggestions

Bibliography

Annexure

CONSUMER PREFERENCE

In microeconomics, preference of consumers and other entities are modeled with

preference relations. Completeness is more philosophically questionable. In most

applications, S is an infinite set and the consumer is not conscious of all preferences.

However, preference can be interpreted as a hypothetical choice that could be made

rather than a conscious state of mind. In this case, completeness amounts to an

assumption that the consumer can always make up their mind whether they are

indifferent or prefer one option when presented with any pair of options.

Consumer preferences

The underlying foundation of demand, therefore, is a model of how consumers

behave. The individual consumer has a set of preferences and values whose

determinations are outside the realm of economics. They are no doubt dependent upon

culture, education, and individual tastes, among a plethora of other factors. The

measure of these values in this model for a particular good is in terms of the real

opportunity cost to the consumer who purchases and consumes the good. If an

individual purchases a particular good, then the opportunity cost of that purchase is

the forgone goods the consumer could have bought instead.

We develop a model in which we map or graphically derive consumer preferences.

These are measured in terms of the level of satisfaction the consumer obtains from

consuming various combinations or bundles of goods. The consumer’s objective is to

choose the bundle of goods that provides the greatest level of satisfaction as they the

consumer define it.

But consumers are very much constrained in their choices. These constraints are

defined by the consumer’s income, and the prices the consumer pays for the goods.

We will formally present the model of consumer choice. As we go along, we will

establish a vocabulary in order to explain the model. Development of the model will

be in three stages. After a formal statement of the consumer’s objectives, we will map

the consumer’s preferences. Secondly, we present the consumer’s budget constraint;

and lastly, combine the two in order to examine the consumer’s choices of goods.

Before a new product can be made, or an existing one varied, someone must have the

idea of doing so. Since market research as a business activity is conducted and paid

for by firms, the investigation of consumer wants and preferences is fairly well

defined by the spheres of interest that exist within the firm. There is little point in

asking the public the open-end questions, "What do you need, or want? What shall we

make?" The consensus appears to be that consumers themselves scarcely ever

originate new product ideas, that development of a specific product represents the

functioning of creativity in business, and that such creativity may be found among

technical research, production engineering, market research, or sales staff, all of

whom have been responsible for one idea or another.

Considering the magnitude of choice that confronts the American public, it is easy to

understand why this is true. Any household consumer is likely to deal in a far greater

variety of products and purchases than any firm, and any consumer's suggestions for

new items cover a broader field than that of any business interest. The firm is oriented

to production and marketing; the consumer, to his own needs and to an unlimited

range of alternatives.

One acceptable alternative, for consumers, might conceivably be for drug companies

to develop a toughening agent for feet so that shoes are no longer needed for

protection, and then for the world of fashion to insist that bare feet are the epitome of

style. Thus, consumers' suggestions rarely furnish new product ideas, either because

consumers are inarticulate about their own needs, or because they lack the technical

competence to specify feasible alternatives.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Customer satisfaction business term is a measure of how products and services

supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. It is seen as a key

performance indicator within business and is part of the four perspectives of a

Balanced Scorecard. In a competitive marketplace where businesses compete for

customers, customer satisfaction is seen as a key differentiator and increasingly has

become a key element of business strategy.

Satisfaction is a person’s feeling of pleasure and disappointment resulting from

comparing a product’s perceived performance in relation to his or her expectations. It

is only the customer delight that marketer aims for. Increasing competition (whether

for-profit or nonprofit) is forcing businesses to pay much more attention to satisfying

customers. (It may help the reader to notice the role of customer satisfaction in the

overall context of product or service development and management. See Product/

Service Management. Also notice the Related Info (including customer service) in

the library.

Measuring customer satisfaction

Organizations are increasingly interested in retaining existing customers while

targeting non-customers; measuring customer satisfaction provides an indication of

how successful the organization is at providing products and/or services to the

marketplace.

Customer satisfaction is an ambiguous and abstract concept and the actual

manifestation of the state of satisfaction will vary from person to person and

product/service to product/service. The state of satisfaction depends on a number of

both psychological and physical variables which correlate with satisfaction behaviors

such as return and recommend rate. The level of satisfaction can also vary depending

on other options the customer may have and other products against which the

customer can compare the organization's products.

Because satisfaction is basically a psychological state, care should be taken in the

effort of quantitative measurement, although a large quantity of research in this area

has recently been developed. Work done by Berry, Brodeur between 1990 and 1998

defined ten 'Quality Values' which influence satisfaction behavior, further expanded

by Berry in 2002 and known as the ten domains of satisfaction. These ten domains of

satisfaction include: Quality, Value, Timeliness, Efficiency, Ease of Access,

Environment, Inter-departmental Teamwork, Front line Service Behaviors,

Commitment to the Customer and Innovation. These factors are emphasized for

continuous improvement and organizational change measurement and are most often

utilized to develop the architecture for satisfaction measurement as an integrated

model. The usual measures of customer satisfaction involve a survey with a set of

statements using a Likert Technique or scale. The customer is asked to evaluate each

statement and in term of their perception and expectation the of the performance of

the organisation being measured.

Customer Satisfaction – a Critical Component of Profitability

Exceptional customer service results in greater customer retention, which in turn

results in higher profitability. Customer loyalty is a major contributor to sustainable

profit growth. To achieve success, you must make superior service second nature of

your organization. A seamless integration of all components in the service-profit

chain – employee satisfaction, value creation, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty,

and profit and growth – links all the critical dynamics of top customer service.

Sadly, mature companies often forget or forsake the thing that made them successful

in the first place: a customer-centric business model. They lose focus on the customer

and start focusing on the bottom line and quarterly results. They look for ways to cut

costs or increase revenues, often at the expense of the customer.

They forget that satisfying customer needs and continuous value innovation is the

only path to sustainable growth. This creates opportunities for new, smaller

companies to emulate and improve upon what made their bigger competitors

successful in the first place and steal their customers.

INTRODUCTION

TELECOM IN INDIA

The Indian telecom market has been displaying sustained high growth rates. Riding

on expectations of overall high economic growth and consequent rising income levels,

it offers an unprecedented opportunity for foreign investment A combination of

factors is driving growth in the telecom market, promising rich returns on investments

The Indian telecommunications has been zooming up the growth curve at a feverish

pace, emerging as one of the key sectors responsible for India's resurgent economic

growth. It is the fastest growing telecommunication market in the world, and with

281.62 million telephone connections (at the end of January 2009) is the third largest

telecom market.

In fact, India has achieved its target of reaching 250 million telephone subscribers by

2008, two months before target. Simultaneously, overall tele-density has increased to

24.63 percent.

The year 2007 saw India achieving significant distinctions: having the world's lowest

call rates (2-3 US cents), the fastest growth in the number of subscribers (15.31

million in 4 months), the fastest sale of million mobile phones (in a week), the world's

cheapest mobile handset (US$ 17.2) and the world's most affordable colour phone

(US$ 27.42) and largest sale of mobile handsets (in the third quarter).

Segment-wise growth

Wireless segment has emerged as the preferred mode of telephone service by the

consumers, reflected in the rising share of mobile phone connections to total

connections. The share of mobile phones has increased from 71.69 per cent at the end

of March 2007 to 86.07 per cent at the end of January 2009. While total mobile

subscriber base was 242.4 million, wire line subscriber base was 39.22 million.

In fact, since 1999, mobile subscriber base has been growing at a CAGR of around 85

per cent. And, while about 8 million new subscribers are being added every month in

mobile segment, there has been a decline in the total number of wire line subscribers.

Also, the net addition of 8.77 million subscribers added in January 2008 has been the

highest ever increase in a single month.

Also, private sector has become the dominant player in the industry. While public

sector companies added 53.6 million subscribers during 1998-2008, private

companies have added a whopping 133.58 million subscribers during the same period.

The dominance has been much more pronounced in the mobile market, where private

operators have added 124.68 million subscribers, while public sector operators added

only 31.79 million subscribers.

Investment

The booming domestic telecom market has been attracting accelerating amount of

investment. For example, during the first nine months of the current fiscal year (April-

December 2008), US$ 1.04 billion of FDI has been made against US$ 478 million for

the whole of 2007-08. The cumulative FDI inflows from April 2000 to December

2008 have been US$ 3.62 billion, accounting for 7.99 per cent of the total FDI inflows

into the country.

Buoyed by the rapid surge in the subscriber base, huge investments are being made

into this industry, even in the current fiscal year. An investment of over US$ 15.21

billion is being made by Indian telecom companies in 2008-09 to finance their

massive expansion of mobile networks, infrastructure and subscriber numbers. This,

in fact, is equivalent to 60 per cent of the cumulative investments into the wireless

segment since 1995.

Investment in to this industry is also attracted due to higher profitability, reflected in

the higher EBIDTA (or earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation)

margin of Indian telecom industry. A report by Merrill Lynch puts Indian telecom

industry's EBIDTA ahead of developed countries like US, UK, Japan and France

among others.

In fact, the surge in mobile services market is likely to see investment worth about

US$ 24 billion by 2010, going by industry estimates. This is understandable, when

seen that the number of mobile subscribers is estimated to increase to 60 billion by

2012, according to Standard Chartered Bank, implying a mobile in the hands of every

second person in the country.

Manufacturing

India is emerging as a handset super-power as more manufacturers set up base in the

country. While India produced around 31 million handsets worth about US$ 5 billion

in 2007, technology research firm Gartner, estimates handset production to increase

by 68 per cent in units and 65 per cent in value terms in 2008.

Consequently, India is estimated to record highest growth in the Asia-Pacific region

with a handset production of 51 million. Looking ahead, while mobile phone

production is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 28.3 per cent between 2006 to 2011 to

total 107 million handsets by 2010, revenues are estimated to grow at a CAGR of 26.6

per cent between 2006 to 2011 to US$ 13.6 billion.

Simultaneously, India's surging domestic market is also providing excellent

investment opportunities in other segments of telecom equipment industry. For

example, TRAI estimates that the country will need about 350,000 telecom towers by

2010, as against 125,000 in 2008. This has in turn attracted many leading global

telecom equipment manufacturers to set up their base in India.

Nokia set up its manufacturing plant in Chennai.

Samsung has set up its GSM mobile manufacturing base in Manesar.

Motorola has established a manufacturing plant in Sriperumbedur.

Sony Ericsson has set up GSM Radio Base Station Manufacturing facility in

Jaipur and R&D centre in Chennai.

LG Electronics set up plant of manufacturing GSM mobile phones near Pune.

Elcoteq has set up handset manufacturing facilities in Bangalore

Electronics has set up an SEZ in Chennai.

Other major companies like Foxconn, Aspcomomp, and Solectron among others have

decided to set up their manufacturing base in India. In 2008 alone, US$ 2 billion is

expected to be made in the telecom manufacturing segment.

Value Added Services Market

India's runaway success in mobile telephony has also given a boost to the mobile

value added services (MVAS) market. According to a study by Stanford University

and consulting firm BDA, the Indian MVAS is poised to touch US$ 926.3 million in

2008 and is likely to grow at a CAGR of 44 per cent to US$ 2.74 billion by 2010.

Echoing similar sentiments, research firm Gartner estimates data services to account

for 22 per cent of the total revenues by 2010 from 12 per cent in 2008. Significantly,

India's share in Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) data revenue is estimated to almost

double from about 6 per cent in 2007 to 11.5 percent by 2011.

Government Initiatives

The Government has taken many proactive initiatives which has provided a

framework for the rapid growth of the telecom industry.

Opening the industry for private sector participation.

100 per cent FDI is permitted in telecom equipment manufacturing through

the automatic route.

FDI ceiling in telecom services has been raised to 74 per cent.

Establishment of an independent regulator - the Telecom Regulatory Authority

of India (TRAI)-for the telecom sector.

Introduction of a Unified access licensing regime for telecom services on a

pan-India basis.

Implementation of New Telecom Policy (NTP'99).

Introduction of Calling Party Pay (CPP) regime and lowering of access deficit

coupled with introduction of revenue share regime in ADC.

Introduction of Mobile Number Portability in a phased manner, starting with

the fourth quarter of 2008.

Allowing service providers to share active infrastructure.

India’s telecom market has grown rapidly in the last few years…

Subscriber growth 164

98

7653

44

0

60

120

180

2002 2003 2004 2005 Aug-06

Revenue growth20

15

1110

9

0

5

10

15

20

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

$ B

illi

on

• Revenues ~ USD 19.5 bn (FY 2006)

• CAGR (FY 2002-06) - 21%

• Have doubled in last 3 years

• Subscribers ~ 160 million (Aug 2006)

• CAGR (FY 2002-06) - 38 %

• Nearly quadrupled since FY 02

• 5-6 million being added every month

• Tele-Density - 14.8 (Aug 2006)

• Has doubled in 3 years

• Target set for 2007 under NTP 1999 achieved during FY 2005

Mobile telephony continues to be the key growth driver…

• Progressive regulation 20

• Migration to revenue sharing

• Calling Party Pays (CPP) regime

• Unified access licensing

• Intra-circle merger guidelines

• Intensifying competition 16

• 3 to 6 players per circle

• Presence of CDMA and GSM providers

• Significant share of private sector

• Growing affordability

• ARPUs among lowest in the world

• Lower cost of ownership due to Low cost / used handsets

• Success of the pre-paid format

GSM IN INDIA -A BURGEONING MARKET:-

The GSM subscriber base in India is expected to reach about 35 million by the end of

2004. Indian GSM service providers are presently operating in over 70 networks

covering almost 2000 cities and towns and thousands of villages, serving over 26

million subscribers.

Vibrant and competitive telecom market :-

Company Presence Subscribers Jul 06 (mn)

Share (%)

Fixed Mobile Fixed Mobile

BSNL

Government owned. Has ramped up GSM services. National presence (except Mumbai and Delhi)

37.4 17.7 74.7% 19.6%

MTNL Government owned. Operates in Delhi and Mumbai.

3.8 2.0 7.7% 2.3%

Bharti

Integrated operator, with presence in all sectors. Largest mobile services provider.

1.4 19.6 2.7% 21.7%

Reliance

Integrated operator. Plans expansion of GSM network apart from being the largest private CDMA operators.

3.0 17.3 6.0% 19.2%

VodafonePure play GSM operator in 11 circles.

  15.4   17.0%

IDEA Pure play GSM operator in 6 circles

  7.4   8.2%

Tata Teleservices

Integrated operator (along with VSNL) with presence in all segments. Provides CDMA services in 20 circles

4.0 4.9 8.0% 5.4%

Aircel

Operates in 2 circles. Announced Plans to expand GSM footprint in North and North east

  2.6   2.9%

Spice Pure play GSM player in 2 circles

  1.9   2.1%

Others   0.4 1.4    

Total   50 90    

ROAD AHEAD

According to a report by Boston Consulting Group, while only one in 20 of the

world's first two billion mobile subscribers live in India, as many as one in every four

of the next billion subscribers will be an Indian. The department of

telecommunication estimates the total subscriber base to total 500 million by 2010,

out of which 80 million are expected to be from rural areas.

The Indian telecom industry's revenue, likewise, is estimated to increase, which

according to Ernst & Young is expected to total US$ 35 billion, accounting for 3.6 per

cent of the total GDP of the country.

With such growth projection, this industry is likely to see increased investments. In

fact, total investment is projected at US$ 76.6 billion during the eleventh plan period

(2007-12). Private sector is estimated to continue its dominant share, accounting for

67 per cent of the total projected investment while public sector accounts for the rest.

COMPANY PROFILE

INTRODUCTION

Telecom giant Bharti Airtel is the flagship company of Bharti Enterprises. The Bharti

Group, has a diverse business portfolio and has created global brands in the

telecommunication sector. Bharti has recently forayed into retail business as Bharti

Retail Pvt. Ltd. under a MoU with Wal-Mart for the cash & carry business. It has

successfully launched an international venture with EL Rothschild Group to export

fresh agri products exclusively to markets in Europe and USA and has launched

Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company Ltd under a joint venture with AXA, world

leader in financial protection and wealth management.

Airtel comes to you from Bharti Airtel Limited, India’s largest integrated and the first

private telecom services provider with a footprint in all the 23 telecom circles. Bharti

Airtel since its inception has been at the forefront of technology and has steered the

course of the telecom sector in the country with its world class products and services.

The businesses at Bharti Airtel have been structured into three individual strategic

business units (SBU’s) - Mobile Services, Airtel Telemedia Services & Enterprise

Services. The mobile business provides mobile & fixed wireless services using GSM

technology across 23 telecom circles while the Airtel Telemedia Services business

offers broadband & telephone services in 94 cities. The Enterprise services provide

end-to-end telecom solutions to corporate customers and national & international long

distance services to carriers. All these services are provided under the Airtel brand.

VISION & PROMISE

By 2010 Airtel will be the most admired brand in India:

Loved by more customers

Targeted by top talent

Benchmarked by more businesses

We at Airtel always think in fresh and innovative ways about the needs of our

customers and how we want them to feel. We deliver what we promise and go

out of our way to delight the customer with a little bit more

Company Profile

Bharti Airtel is one of India's leading private sector providers of telecommunications

services based on an aggregate of 61,914,666 customers as on February 29, 2009,

consisting of 59,670,174 GSM mobile and 2,244,492 broadband & telephone

customers.

The businesses at Bharti Airtel have been structured into three individual strategic

business units (SBU’s) - mobile services, telemedia services (ATS) & enterprise

services. The mobile services group provides GSM mobile services across India in 23

telecom circles, while the ATS business group provides broadband & telephone

services in 94 cities. The enterprise services group has two sub-units - carriers (long

distance services) and services to corporates. All these services are provided under the

Airtel brand.

Company shares are listed on The Stock Exchange, Mumbai (BSE) and The National

Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE).

Partners

The company has a strategic alliance with SingTel. The investment made by SingTel

is one of the largest investments made in the world outside Singapore, in the

company.

The company’s mobile network equipment partners include Ericsson and Nokia. In

the case of the broadband and telephone services and enterprise services (carriers),

equipment suppliers include Siemens, Nortel, Corning, among others. The Company

also has an information technology alliance with IBM for its group-wide information

technology requirements and with Nortel for call center technology requirements. The

call center operations for the mobile services have been outsourced to IBM Daksh,

Hinduja TMT, Teletech & Mphasis.

Factsheet

Name Bharti Airtel Limited.

Business

Description

Provides mobile, telemedia services (fixed line) and enterprise

services (carriers & services to corporates)

Established July 07, 1995, as a Public Limited Company

Proportionate

Revenue

Rs. 184,202 million (year ended March 31, 2008-Audited)

Rs. 117,255 million (year ended March 31, 2007-Audited)

As per Indian GAAP Accounts

Proportionate

EBITDA

Rs. 74,407 million (year ended March 31, 2008-Audited)

Rs. 42,250 million (year ended March 31, 2007-Audited)

As per Indian GAAP Accounts

Shares in Issue

1,897,148,464 as at June 30, 2008

ListingsThe Stock Exchange, Mumbai (BSE)

The National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE)

Customer Base 59,670,174 GSM mobile and 2,244,492 telemedia customers

(Status as at month ended February 29, 2009)

Operational

Network

Provides GSM mobile services in all the 23 telecom circles in

India, and was the first private operator to have an all India

presence.

Provides telemedia services (fixed line) in 94 cities in India.

Registered Office

Bharti Airtel Limited

(Airtel Bharti Enterprise)

Qutab Ambience (at Qutab Minar), Mehrauli Road,

New Delhi - 110 030

Tel. No.: +91 11 4166 6000

Fax No.: +91 11 4166 6011/12

 

COMPANY INFORMATION

As India's leading GSM Mobile Services operator, IDEA Cellular has licenses to

operate in 11 circles. With a customer base of over 17 million, IDEA Cellular has

operations in Delhi, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,

Chattisgarh, Uttaranchal, Haryana, UP-West, Himachal Pradesh,UP-East, Rajasthan

and Kerala. IDEA Cellular's footprint currently covers approximately 45% of India's

population and over 50% of the potential telecom-market.

As a leader in Value Added Services, Innovation is central to IDEA's VAS Factory. It

is the first cellular company to launch music messaging with 'Cellular Jockey',

'Background Tones', 'Group Talk', a voice portal with 'Say IDEA' and a complete suite

of Mobile Email Services.

A frontrunner in introducing revolutionary tariff plans, IDEA Cellular has the

distinction of offering the most customer friendly and competitive Pre Paid offerings,

for the first time in India, with 'Super Power', 2 Minutes Outgoing Free, Lifelong offer

and other segmented offerings like Women's Card. 'Lifetime Idea' is the first and only

loyalty program, for pre paid customers, introduced by a Cellularbrand.

Customer Service and Innovation are the drivers of this Cellular Brand. A brand

known for their many firsts, Idea is only operator to launch GPRS and EDGE in the

country.

The latest feather in Idea's cap is GSM Association Award for CARE. It is the

second GSM Association award that Idea has won, the first one being for Bill Flash.

Idea Cellular is part of the Aditya Birla Group, which is India's first truly

multinational corporation. Global in vision, rooted in Indian values, the group is

driven by a performance ethic pegged on value creation for its multiple stakeholders.

The combined holding of the Aditya Birla Group companies in Idea stands at

around57percent. With ambitious future plans, the company is poised for rapid

growth.

Mission

History

Calendar year Events

2006

Became part of the Aditya Birla Group subsequent to the

TATA Group

transferring its entire shareholding in the Company to the

Aditya Birla Group.

Acquired Escorts Telecommunications Limited

(subsequently renamed as Idea Telecommunications

Limited)

Reached the 10 million subscriber mark

Received Letter of Intent from the DoT for a new UAS

License for the Bihar Circle through Aditya Birla Telecom

Limited. ABNL, the parent of Aditya Birla Telecom

Limited, pursuant to a letter dated November 22, 2006,

agreed to transfer its entire shareholding in Aditya Birla

Telecom Limited to the Company for the consideration of

Rs. 100 million.

2004

Completed debt restructuring for the then existing debt facilities and additional

funding for the Delhi Circle

Acquired Escotel Mobile Communications Limited (subsequently renamed as

Idea Mobile Communications Limited)

First operator in India to commercially launch EDGE services 2005

Won an award for the "Bill Flash" service at the GSM Association Awards in

Barcelona, Spain

Sponsored the International Indian Film Academy Awards

2003

Reached the two million subscriber mark

2002

Changed name to Idea Cellular Limited and launched "Idea" brand name

Commenced commercial operations in Delhi Circle

Reached the one million subscriber mark

2001

Acquired RPG Cellular Limited and consequently the license for the Madhya

Pradesh (including Chattisgarh) Circle

Changed name to Birla Tata AT&T Limited

Obtained license for providing GSM-based services in the Delhi Circle

following the fourth operator GSM license bidding process

2000

Merged with Tata Cellular Limited, thereby acquiring original license for the

Andhra Pradesh Circle

1996

Changed name to Birla AT&T Communications Limited following joint

venture between Grasim Industries and AT&T Corporation

1995

Incorporated as Birla Communications Limited

Obtained licenses for providing GSM-based services in the Gujarat and

Maharashtra Circles following the original GSM license bidding process.

BRAND INFORMATION

The brand Idea

It is almost impossible to disintegrate brand Idea from the corporate Idea. Brand values

are the company values and vise versa.

Brand Vision: It goes without saying that the brand vision of idea mirrors the

company’s vision. The brand mission statement is...... To be the most customer-focused

mobile service brand, continuously innovating to help liberate our customers from the

shackles of time & space.

IDEA - Brand Values

Innovate . Stimulate . Liberate ....

It is these brand values, which have made us a formidable player in the telecom industry.

Innovations that stimulate the customer and liberate him from the shackles of time and

space are the core of our brand. This is what we strive for. Nothing more, nothing less,

nothing else.

IDEA - Brand Mission

The India footprint Idea

Anywhere connectivity - bringing India closer.

The Technology Advantage Idea

Tomorrow's technology to enrich today.

The Customer Focus Idea

Make a single interaction a lasting relationship.

The Employee Focus Idea

Nurture the roots that nurture our ideas.

Promoters

The Aditya Birla Group is India's first truly multinational corporation. Global in vision,

rooted in Indian values, the Group is driven by a performance ethic pegged on value

creation for its multiple stakeholders. Its 66 state-of-the-art manufacturing units and

sectoral services span India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Egypt, Canada,

Australia andChina.

A US$ 6.7 billion conglomerate, with a market capitalization of US$ 7 billion, it is

anchored by an extraordinary force of 72,000 employees belonging to over 20 different

nationalities. Over 30 per cent of its revenues flow from its operations across the world.

A premium conglomerate, the Aditya Birla Group is a dominant player in all of the

sectors in which it operates. Such as viscose staple fibre, non-ferrous metals, cement,

viscose filament yarn, branded apparel, carbon black, chemicals, fertilisers, sponge iron,

insulator sand financial services.

The Group has also made successful forays into the IT and BPO sectors.

Currently around 57 percent of our Equity Shares are held by our Promoters who are

companies belonging to the Aditya Birla Group.

Our Promoters are -

1. Aditya Birla Nuvo Limited

2. Grasim Industries Limited

3. Hindalco Industries Limited and

4. Birla TMT Holdings Private Limited.

Coverage

Idea Cellular Ltd has seen phenomenal growth since its inception. Idea Cellular's

footprint idea is to first achieve critical mass, then drill deep instead of spreading thin.

In keeping with this, the company has been providing excellent service to its subscribers

in various states. It controls a portfolio of India's most attractive and contiguous telecom

geographies, including the circles of Andhra Pradesh & Delhi (inclusive of NCR),

Gujarat, Haryana,  Himachal Pradesh,   Kerala,  Madhya Pradesh & Chattisgarh,

Maharashtra & Goa (excluding Mumbai),  Rajasthan,  Uttar Pradesh (W),Uttar

Pradesh (E) . With a footprint dominating the map of India, Idea Cellular accesses over

60% of India's total telephony potential. The company is now poised to launch its

services in new circles - namely Mumbai and Bihar.

Idea Cellular Ltd, however, does not believe only in increasing geographic footprint - it

also drills deep and successfully attempts to provide excellent network coverage in all its

circles of operations.

LITERATURE REVIEW

LITERATURE REVIEW

Haley(1968) is of the view that customer satisfaction reflects their perception of

benefit, and hence segmentation based on benefit is ideal. Therefore, we can segment

customers by their degree of satisfaction.

Engel et al.(1982 )projected that customers with different lifestyle show variation in

their consumiong attitudes. Because lifestyle of people is influenced by culture social

status reference group and family people with different lifestyles have distinct values

personalities and perceptions.

Castells et al (2005) extensively looked into the rise of the mobile youth in the

crosscultural perspective. Their hypothesis stated that there is a youth culture that

finds , in mobile communication, an adequate form of expression and reinforcement.

Anderson EW and Sullivan VW (1993) “The Antiecedents and consequences of

customer satisfaction for firms”

Brady MK and Robertson CJ (2001) “Searching for a consensus on the antiecedent

role of service quality and satisfaction”

INTRODUCTION

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. formed in October, 2000, is World's 7th largest

Telecommunications Company providing comprehensive range of telecom services in

India: Wireline, CDMA mobile, GSM Mobile, Internet, Broadband, Carrier service,

MPLS-VPN, VSAT, VOIP services, IN Services etc. Within a span of five years it has

become one of the largest public sector unit in India.

BSNL has installed Quality Telecom Network in the country and now focusing on

improving it, expanding the network, introducing new telecom services with ICT

applications in villages and wining customer's confidence. Today, it has about 47.3

million line basic telephone capacity, 4 million WLL capacity, 20.1 Million GSM

Capacity, more than 37382 fixed exchanges, 18000 BTS, 287 Satellite Stations,

480196 Rkm of OFC Cable, 63730 Rkm of Microwave Network connecting 602

Districts, 7330 cities/towns and 5.5 Lakhs villages.

BSNL is the only service provider, making focused efforts and planned initiatives to

bridge the Rural-Urban Digital Divide ICT sector. In fact there is no telecom operator in

the country to beat its reach with its wide network giving services in every nook &

corner of country and operates across India except Delhi & Mumbai. Whether it is

inaccessible areas of Siachen glacier and North-eastern region of the country. BSNL

serves its customers with its wide bouquet of telecom services.

BSNL is numero uno operator of India in all services in its license area. The company

offers vide ranging & most transparent tariff schemes designed to suite every

customer.BSNL cellular service, CellOne, has more than 17.8 million cellular customers,

garnering 24 percent of all mobile users as its subscribers. That means that almost every

fourth mobile user in the country has a BSNL connection. In basic services, BSNL is

miles ahead of its rivals, with 35.1 million Basic Phone subscribers i.e. 85 per cent

share of the subscriber base and 92 percent share in revenueterms.

BSNL has more than 2.5 million WLL subscribers and 2.5 million Internet Customers

who access Internet through various modes viz. Dial-up, Leased Line, DIAS, Account

Less Internet(CLI). BSNL has been adjudged as the NUMBER ONE ISP in the country.

BSNL has set up a world class multi-gigabit, multi-protocol convergent IP infrastructure

that provides convergent services like voice, data and video through the same Backbone

and Broadband Access Network. At present there are 0.6 million DataOne broadband

customers. The company has vast experience in Planning, Installation, network

integration and Maintenance of Switching & Transmission Networks and also has a

world class ISO 9000 certified Telecom Training Institute.

Scaling new heights of success, the present turnover of BSNL is more than

Rs.351,820 million (US $ 8 billion) with net profit to the tune of Rs.99,390 million

(US $ 2.26 billion) for last financial year. The infrastructure asset on telephone alone is

worth about Rs.630,000 million (US $ 14.37 billion).

BSNL plans to expand its customer base from present 47 millions lines to 125 million

lines by December 2007 and infrastructure investment plan to the tune of Rs. 733 crores

(US$ 16.67 million) in the next three years and the desire to excel has made BSNL the No. 1

Telecom Company of India.

The turnover, nationwide coverage, reach, comprehensive range of telecom services and

the desire to excel has made BSNL the No. 1 Telecom Company of India.

VISION, MISSION & OBJECTIVES

VISION 

To become the largest telecom Service Provider in  Asia.  

MISSION 

i. To provide world class State-of-art technology telecom services to its customers on demand at competitive prices.

ii. To Provide world class telecom infrastructure in its area of operation and to contribute to the growth of the country's economy.

OBJECTIVES 

To be the Lead Telecom Services Provider. 

To provide quality and reliable fixed telecom service to our customer and there by increase customer's confidence. 

To provide mobile telephone service of high quality and become no. 1 GSM operator in its area of operation.

To provide point of interconnection to other service provider as per their requirement promptly.

To facilitate R & D activity in the country.

Contribute towards: i. National Plan Target of 500 million subscriber base for India by 2010.

ii. Broadband customers base of 20 million in India by 2010 as per Broadband Policy 2004.

iii. Providing telephone connection in villages as per government policy.

iv. Implementation of Triple play as a regular commercial proposition.

NATIONAL INTERNET BACKBONE OF BSNL

The National Internet Backbone of BSNL consists of 432 Point of Presence( POP) that

gives it the capability of transporting IP traffic from every hook and corner of the

country.    This network  provides internet services to more than 1 million dial-up

customers including about 3.5 lakh customers on CLI basis.    

2nd in the line of IP network, BSNL commissioned a state-of-the-art Multi Protocol Label

Switching (MPLS) NETWORK TAKING India into the next stage of the IP evolution. 

This network has 10 physical nodes with all district headquarters designated as virtual

nodes.  This network has opened up a new market segment of secure and reliable Virtual

Private Networks (VPNs) for Corporate customers.   

The latest endeavor  of BSNL is a world-class multi-gigabit multi-protocol, convergent

IP infrastructure which will provide voice, data and video services through the same

backbone.  In terms of infrastructure for broadband services, this would put India at par

with more advanced nations.  Designated as NIB-II this will be implemented in the form

of four projects. 

Project 1 involves building up of MPLS backbone  

Project 2.1 is for narrow band access  

 Project 2.2 is for broadband access

 Project 3 is to put systems and processes in place to integrate network

built in The other projects and provide services like messaging, billing

etc. 

All the above projects in form of NIB-II are at different stages of implementation and as per schedule .They will be operational in the third quarter of this year. 

The services that will be available to customers when NIB-II is in place: 

Narrowband and broadband Internet access.

Virtual Private Network.

Managed OPE

Value Added Services like encryption, firewall and NAT

Messaging: Plain Vanilla and feature rich

Data Center Services: web hosting and web-collocation.

Content based Services: e.g. video multicast, video on demand, interactive gaming

DREAM COME TRUE:-

The Late Dhirubhai Ambani dreamt of a digital India — an India where the common

man would have access to affordable means of information and communication.

Dhirubhai, who single-handedly built India’s largest private sector company virtually

from scratch, had stated as early as 1999: “Make the tools of information and

communication available to people at an affordable cost. They will overcome the

handicaps of illiteracy and lack of mobility.”

It was with this belief in mind that Reliance Communications (formerly Reliance

Infocomm) started laying 60,000 route kilometres of a pan-India fibre optic backbone.

This backbone was commissioned on 28 December 2002, the auspicious occasion of

Dhirubhai’s 70th birthday, though sadly after his unexpected demise on 6 July 2002.

Reliance Communications has a reliable, high-capacity, integrated (both wireless and

wireline) and convergent (voice, data and video) digital network. It is capable of

delivering a range of services spanning the entire infocomm (information and

communication) value chain, including infrastructure and services — for enterprises as

well as individuals, applications, and consulting.

Today, Reliance Communications is revolutionising the way India communicates and

networks, truly bringing about a new way of life.

VISION

“We will leverage our strengths to execute complex global-scale projects to facilitate

leading-edge information and communication services affordable to all individual

consumers and businesses in India.

We will offer unparalleled value to create customer delight and enhance business

productivity.

We will also generate value for our capabilities beyond Indian borders and enable

millions of India's knowledge workers to deliver their services globally.”

India ’s leading integrated telecom company Reliance Communications is the flagship

company of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) of companies. Listed on the

National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange, it is India’s leading

integrated telecommunication company with over 40 million customers.

Our business encompasses a complete range of telecom services covering mobile and

fixed line telephony. It includes broadband, national and international long distance

services and data services along with an exhaustive range of value-added services and

applications. Our constant endeavour is to achieve customer delight by enhancing the

productivity of the enterprises and individuals we serve.

Reliance Mobile (formerly Reliance India Mobile), launched on 28 December 2002,

coinciding with the joyous occasion of the late Dhirubhai Ambani’s 70th birthday, was

among the initial initiatives of Reliance Communications. It marked the auspicious

beginning of Dhirubhai’s dream of ushering in a digital revolution in India. Today, we

can proudly claim that we were instrumental in harnessing the true power of information

and communication, by bestowing it in the hands of the common man at affordable rates.

We endeavour to further extend our efforts beyond the traditional value chain by

developing and deploying complete telecom solutions for the entire spectrum of society.

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD

Reliance – Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, an offshoot of the Reliance Group founded by

Shri Dhirubhai H Ambani (1932-2002), ranks among India’s top three private sector

business houses in terms of net worth. The group has business interests that range from

telecommunications (Reliance Communications Limited) to financial services (Reliance

Capital Ltd) and the generation and distribution of power (Reliance Energy Ltd).

Reliance – ADA Group’s flagship company, Reliance Communications, is India's largest

private sector information and communications company, with over 40 million

subscribers. It has established a pan-India, high-capacity, integrated (wireless and

wireline), convergent (voice, data and video) digital network, to offer services spanning

the entire infocomm value chain.

Other major group companies — Reliance Capital and Reliance Energy — are widely

acknowledged as the market leaders in their respective areas of operation

Corporate Governance

Organizations, like individuals, depend for their survival, sustenance and growth on the

support and goodwill of the communities of which they are an integral part, and must

pay back this generosity in every way they can...

This ethical standpoint, derived from the vision of our founder, lies at the heart of the

CSR philosophy of the Reliance – ADA Group.

While we strongly believe that our primary obligation or duty as corporate entities is to

our shareholders – we are just as mindful of the fact that this imperative does not exist in

isolation; it is part of a much larger compact which we have with our entire body of

stakeholders: From employees, customers and vendors to business partners, eco-system,

local communities, and society at large.

We evaluate and assess each critical business decision or choice from the point of view

of diverse stakeholder interest, driven by the need to minimize risk and to pro-actively

address long-term social, economic and environmental costs and concerns.

For us, being socially responsible is not an occasional act of charity or that one-time

token financial contribution to the local school, hospital or environmental NGO. It is an

ongoing year-round commitment, which is integrated into the very core of our business

objectives and strategy.

Because we believe that there is no contradiction between doing well and doing right.

Indeed, doing right is a necessary condition for doing well.

ABOUT VODAFONE ESSAR LIMITED

Vodafone Essar in India is a subsidiary of Vodafone Group Plc and commenced

operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison Telecom acquired the cellular licence

for Mumbai. Vodafone Essar now has operations in 16 circles covering 86% of India's

mobile customer base, with over 41.1 million customers*.

Over the years, Vodafone Essar, under the Hutch brand, has been named the 'Most

Respected Telecom Company', the 'Best Mobile Service in the country' and the 'Most

Creative and Most Effective Advertiser of the Year'.

Vodafone is the world's leading international mobile communications company. It now

has operations in 25 countries across 5 continents and 40 partner networks with over 200

million customers worldwide. Vodafone has partnered with the Essar Group as its

principal joint venture partner for the Indian market.

The Essar Group is a diversified business corporation with interests spanning the

manufacturing and service sectors like Steel, Energy, Power, Communications, Shipping

& Logistics and Construction. The Group has an asset base of over Rs.400 billion (US$

10 billion) and employs over 20000 people.

The communications leader in an increasingly connected world

Vodafone Group Plc is the world's leading mobile telecommunications company, with a

significant presence in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the United

States through the Company's subsidiary undertakings, joint ventures, associated

undertakings and investments.The Group's mobile subsidiaries operate under the brand

name 'Vodafone'. In the United States the Group's associated undertaking operates as

Verizon Wireless. During the last two financial years, the Group has also entered into

arrangements with network operators in countries where the Group does not hold an

equity stake.

Under the terms of these Partner Network Agreements, the Group and its partner

networks co-operate in the development and marketing of global services under dual

brand logos.At 31 December 2007, based on the registered customers of mobile

telecommunications ventures in which it had ownership interests at that date, the Group

had 252 million customers, excluding paging customers, calculated on a proportionate

basis in accordance with the Company's percentage interest in these ventures.The

Company's ordinary shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Company's

American Depositary Shares ('ADSs') are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The

Company had a total market capitalisation of approximately £99 billion at 31 December

2008.Vodafone Group Plc is a public limited company incorporated in England under

registered number 1833679. Its registered office is Vodafone House, The Connection,

Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2FN, England.

More than mobile

Mobile is always at the heart of what we do, but now we are moving into integrated

mobile and PC communication services. We are doing that in two ways – wirelessly

through 3G and HSDPA (High-Speed Download Packet Access), but also using fixed

line broadband services like DSL (Digital Subscriber Line). Our customers benefit from

a complete Vodafone experience in and out of their homes and offices. They are notified

about email with our consumer push email service, access existing instant messaging

services on the move, and share images and video captured on their handsets.

We offer a suite of products that, starting with voice calls, offers our customers an

alternative to a traditional fixed telephone line. Vodafone Zuhause in Germany and

Vodafone Casa in Italy, provide our customers with an easy-to-use mobile service,

combined with low-cost fixed line telephony and DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)

broadband. We have extended our reach into the office by delivering richer business

applications and integrated fixed and mobile services, such as higher speed internet

access.

With developments in technology we can provide integrated mobile and PC offerings to

give our customers a consistent experience whether they are at home or on the move.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Development of market of telecom is making the companies to initiate some efforts for

promoting the sale of their products. The main reasons can be summed up as under:

Since 1999, mobile subscriber base has been growing at a CAGR of around 85 per cent.

7-8 million being added every month. The cumulative FDI inflows from April 2000 to

December 2008 have been US$ 3.62 billion, accounting for 7.99 per cent of the total FDI

inflows into the country. Increasing demand of rural market. Increasing income of

middle class people.

The Govt. liberalization policy for the FDI in telecom sector. Rapid increase in

population also affects the growth of market of these products. More attractive and

discount offer by telecom companies mainly in festive time, helps in the growth of this

telecommunication market. It is the fastest growing telecommunication market in the

world, and with 281.62 million telephone connections (at the end of January 2009) is the

third largest telecom market.

Every research that we are conducting should contain some important to us. Here I am

doing the research on the topic Study of consumer preference and satisfaction regarding

the various Mobile telecom service providers in India. These are the reasons for

conducting the research on this topic:

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Consumer satisfaction procedure has a great importance in every organization. The

objectives are set up in the start of the study, because on the basis of these objectives we

have to do the research work.. these are summarized as under :-

To study the customer perception regarding the telecom service providers.

To study the customer satisfaction level regarding the telecom service

providers.

To know the factors which influence the customers in aviling the service

providers

To study the category of connection using by the customer

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the problem. It may be

understood has a science of studying how research is done scientifically. In it we study

the various steps that all generally adopted by a researcher in studying his research

problem along with the logic behind them. The scope of research methodology is wider

than that of research method.

Research Design

The research design is the conceptual structure within which research is conducted; it

constitutes the blue print of the collection, measurement and analysis of the data. As

search the design includes an outline of what the researcher will do from writing the

hypothesis and its operational implication to the final analysis of data.

The present study is Descriptive in nature, as it seeks to discover ideas and insight to

bring out new relationship. Research design is flexible enough to provide opportunity for

considering different aspects of problem under study.

DATA COLLECTION

There are two types of data these are:

PRIMARY DATA: - The primary data are those, which are collected afresh

and for the first time. and thus happened to be original in character. Sources

of primary data are:

Questionnaire

Observation

Personal interview

SECONDARY DATA: -

The secondary data on the other hand, are those which have already been collected

by Someone else and which have already been passed through the statistical

processes.

Sources are:. Books, magazines, newspaper, publications.

Sampling and sampling design

Sampling may be defined as the selection of some part of an aggregate or totality on the

basis of which a judgment or inference about the aggregate or totality is made. In simple

words, it is the process of obtaining information about the population by examining only

a part of it.

Sampling Unit : Consumers of different telecom service providers.

Sampling Size : - 100 respondents.

Sampling Design : Judgement Sampling

Sampling Area : Jagadhri & Yamuna Nagar cities

DATA ANALYSIS

AND

INTERPRETATION

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

After collecting the data from the various sources there is a need to data analysis and

interpretation. This data obtained from the various primary and secondary sources while

doing the study need to be analyze. This can be done with the help of various tables and

charts.

For the purpose of the analyzing the data percentage has been calculated and this is

shown with the help of tables and charts.

Q1.Type of the connection in numbers:-

Interpretation:-The above chart shows that in India now a days the number of

mobiles connections in home are more than the number of land lines connections. So

from this we can conclude that there is a huge potential of growth of mobile services in

India.

Response No. of Respondents

Mobile Connection 78

Landline connection 22

Q2.Mention the number of category of mobile connection you are

personally using?

Interpretation:-

The above chart shows that in the mobile services the coverage of the GSM service

operators have more share in the over all mobile sector so we can say that the GSM

service providers are far ahead than the CDMA service providers.

Response No. of Respondents

GSM 64

CDMA 36

Q3. What type of connection do you have?

Interpretation :-

The above chart shows that in the total mobile connections the number of the Pre paid

connections are more than the number of the Post paid connection. So this is a clear

indication that the customer prefers to use the Pre paid connections to use the mobile

services.

Response No. of Respondents

Prepaid 65

Postpaid 35

Q4.Who amongst the following is your service provider?

Response % of Respondents

Airtel 32

Bsnl 16

Idea 12

Vodafone 7

Reliance 19

Any others 14

respondent

32%

16%12%

7%

19%

14%

Airtel

Bsnl

Idea

Vodafone

Reliance

Any others

Interpretation;-

The above chart tells about the share of the various telecom services providers. In my

study I found that Airtel has the maximum share of 32% in the market and Reliance

comes on second position having the share near to 19%. And the over all mobile

communication market is captured by the GSM operators.

Q5. How did you come to know about these service providers ?

Interpretation:-

The above chart shows that the advertisement is the most influential medium in the

business of the mobile services . And if of the mobile services operator wants to enter

in the market than he has to use the advertisement as the tools to enter in the market .

It also indicate that an mobile service provider has to spent hugely on the

advertisement.

Response % of Respondents

Through peers 15

Advertisement 35

Publicity 25

Family members 12

Any others 13

Respondent

15%

35%

25%

12%

13%

Through peers

Advertisement

Publicity

Family members

Any others

Q6. Which factor influenced you the most to avail the services of the

service provider–

Respondent

48%

12%

19%

12%

9% Call rates

Value added services

Network Coverage

Customer care support

Scheme

Interpretation:-

This chart shows that the call rates of a particular service provider has a maximum

influence on the purchase decision of an customer and after this the network coverage

has the maximum impact on the purchase decision of an service provider.

Response % of Respondents

Call rates 48

Value added services 12

Network Coverage 19

Customer care support 12

Scheme 9

Q7. Are you aware about the all other service providers available in

the market?

Response % of respondents

Fully aware 42

Aware 46

Less aware 6

Neutral 2

Not so much 4

Respondent

42%

46%

6%

2%

4%

Fully aware

Aware

Less aware

neutral

Not so much

Interpretation:-

This chart shows the awareness level of the customers in the telecom services

providers market. It also shows that among the total people 42% are fully aware and

46% are aware . so this shows that near about 88% people have a great information

about the various telecom service providers.

Q8. Are you satisfied with the amount of information content provided

to you in the catalogue and handbooks?

Respondent

18%

28%

32%

14%

8%

Fully satisfied

Satisfied

Average

Less satisfied

Dissatisfied

Interpretation:-

This chart shows about the extent of the information given by the various service

providers. This shows that 60% of the people are satisfied amount of information

content provided by the various telecom services providers. This also shows that 22%

people are not at all satisfied by the amount of information content provided by the

various telecom services providers.

Response % of Respondent

Fully satisfied 18

Satisfied 28

Average 32

Less satisfied 14

Dissatisfied 8

Q9. Which type of media influenced your purchase behavior?

Response % of Respondent

T.V 42

Hording 12

News papers & magazines 21

Radio 14

Internet 11

Respondent

42%

12%

21%

14%

11% T.V

Hording

News papers &magazines

Radio

Internet

Interpretation:-

The above chart gives the information about the level of the influence of the various

advertisement mediums . It shows that T.V has maximum influence on the people it

is near about 42% and after this the another most influential medium is the News

papers and the magazines and which is near about 21%this help to know the best

medium of the advertisement.

Q10. Which is the most important factor according to you influenced

most while purchase of a sim-card?

Respondent

9%

12%

19%

12%

48%

Customer care support

Attractive schemes

Network coverage

Value added services

Call rates

Interpretation;-

This chart shows the which is the most important factors among the following factors

which has the maximum influence on the purchase decision of an customer. This shows

that the call rates has the maximum influence 48% and after that the network coverage is

the second most important factor and it influence near about 19% on the decision of an

individual for buying a telecom service operator.

Response % of Respondent

Customer care support 09

Attractive schemes 12

Network coverage 19

Value added services 12

Call rates 48

Q11. What extent call rates influence your purchase of sim card?

Interpretation:-

This chart helps us to know that up to what extent the call rates has the influence on the

purchase decision of an customer. This shows that more than 20% people are highly

influenced by the call rate factor and more than 77% people consider the call rates as the

important factor while going for a particular telecom service provider.

Response % of Respondent

High 20

High average 41

Average 16

Average low 18

Low 5

Q12. How many times do you switch over your service provider in last

one year?

Respondent

18%

48%

27%

3% 4%

No switch over

1 time

2 time

3 times

More than 3 times

Interpretation:-

This chart helps us to know about the switching rate in the telecom sector . This shows

that more than 48% of people switch over once in the last one year, more than 27%

people switch over twice in the last year . So this all shows that the rate of the switching

is very high in the telecom sector. So it is very difficult for the service providers to retain

their customers.

Response % of Respondent

No switch over 18

1 time 48

2 time 27

3 times 03

More than 3 times 04

Q13.Are you satisfied with the overall performance of the telecom

service providers in India?

Respondent

16%

42%

28%

8%6%

Fully satisfied

Satisfied

Average

Less satisfied

poor

Interpretation:-

This chart helps us to know about the satisfaction level of the customers in the

telecommunication service users. So this shows that only 16% of the total customers

are fully satisfied and only 42% of the customer are satisfied with their service

providers. And more than14% customers are not at all satisfied.

Response % of Respondent

Fully satisfied 16

Satisfied 42

Average 28

Less satisfied 08

Poor 06

14.What is your post purchase experience with your telecom service

provider?

Respondent

12%

24%

42%

14%

8%

Excellent

Very good

Good

Average

poor

Interpretation:-

This chart helps us to know about the satisfaction level of the customers in the

telecommunication service users. This shows that only 12% says that their post purchase

experience is excellent with their service provider and 24%says that their post purchase

experience is very good with their service provider and 42% says that their post purchase

experience is good with their service provider and14% says that their post purchase

experience is average with their service provider and 8 %says that their post purchase

experience is poor with their service provider.

Response % of Respondent

Excellent 12

Very good 24

Good 42

Average 14

Poor 08

Q14 .Are you satisfied with the customer care services of your service provider?.

Response % of Respondent

Fully satisfied 18

Satisfied 28

Neutral 32

Dissatisfied 14

Fully Dissatisfied 8

Respondent

18%

28%

32%

14%

8%

Fully satisfied

Satisfied

Neutral

Dissatisfied

Fully Dissatisfied

Interpretation: -

This chart helps us to know about the satisfaction level of the customers regarding the

customer care services in the telecommunication service users. This shows that only 18%

customer says that they are fully satisfied with the customer care services in the various

telecommunication services providers and28% customer says that they are satisfied with

the customer care services in the various telecommunication services providers and32%

customer says that they are neutral with the customer care services in the various

telecommunication services providers and14% customer says that they are dissatisfied

with the customer care services in the various telecommunication services providers

and8% customer says that they are fully dissatisfied with the customer care services in

the various telecommunication services providers.

FINDINGS

FINDINGS

OBJECTIVE-1

We find that in the mobile services the coverage of the GSM service operators have more

share in the over all mobile sector so we can say that the GSM service providers are far

ahead than the CDMA service providers.

We find that the total mobile connections the number of the Pre paid connections are

more than the number of the Post paid connection. So this is a clear indication that the

customer prefers to use the Pre paid connections to use the mobile services.

We find that share of the various telecom services providers. In my study I found that

Airtel has the maximum share of 32% in the market and Reliance comes on second

position having the share near to 19%. And the over all mobile communication market is

captured by the GSM operaters.

OBJECTIVE-2

Only 16% of the total customers are fully satisfied and only 42% of the customer are

satisfied with their service providers. And more than14% customers are not at all

satisfied with their telecom service provider.

Only 12% says that their post purchase experience is excellent with their service provider

and 24%says that their post purchase experience is very good with their service provider

and 42% says that their post purchase experience is good with their service provider

and14% says that their post purchase experience is average with their service provider

and 8 %says that their post purchase experience is poor with their service provider.

SUGGESTIONS

SUGGESTIONS

In my present research work I come to know that there is a huge potential to the

growth of Telecom industry in India. I found that advertisement plays an

important role in purchasing behaviour of customers as 35% of respondents are

influenced by the advertisement. So more emphasis on advertisement should be

made to attract the customers.

Call rates is an another factor influencing on buying behaviour. In my study, 48

% people accepted that they consider about call rates before purchasing a Sim of

any company. So telecom service providers should make some initiatives in this

regard with the consent of Telecom Ministry of India.

Media also makes influence on customers. In my research 42% respondents

attracted through TV and rest from other media sources like newspapers etc. So

media can also be a good mean of propaganda for telecom service providers.

Quality of services also effect the clients to any particular telecom service

provider as in my study, I found that only 16% customers are fully satisfied with

their concerning companies. So TRAI should make some efforts in this regard so

that quality of services may be improve in India.

I found that post purchase experience of maximum customers is not upto their

expectations, as only 12 % respondents assumed it as excellent, but rest believed

that they are lacking in their services. So joint efforts of dealers and company's

representatives should be made in this regard.

CONCLUSION

CONCLUSION

Telecom Services today represent the largest electronic industry in world. Through my

research I have found that the awareness about telecom services is very high .in my

research I came to know that advertisement is one of the most influential mode of media

which have an impact over the consumers. The next important factor is the call rates

which leads to customer satisfaction or customer dissatisfaction.

Customers are changing attitudes, buying behaviour, life styles, choice criteria, loyalty to

market offers and so on this is all due to they are exposed to multiplicity of brands media

hypes, hi tech communication.

Keeping this in view it can be concluded that there are end number of service providers

for the customers and the satisfaction will vary as per the varying demand of the

customers. So there are no clear cut dimensions upon which the customer satisfaction

and their perception can be measured.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

In every Research whether it is done at the lower level or at the upper level, It consists of

some limitations. During my research, I have also faced some limitations. These are

stated as under:

Availability of Time: - For conducting a research one should have the

availability of time so that he should provide time to the research. As I am a

student so it was impossible for me to provide time.

Small sample Size: - The sample that I have taken was not enough. It does not

represent the whole set of population.

Biased Responses: - Some respondents were not cooperative, I found biased

responses from them, they were taking the things in a wrong manner.

Limited Area: - The sample which is taken in the record is from the very small

area as compared to large population town. So there may be deviation due to this

sample.

Lack of Experience:- Lack of experience was also a big limitation in this as I

was not a trained person in this.

Budgetary Constraints:- I was also lacking in budget which is essential for

getting the responses from the respondents

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Kothari, C.R, Research methodology, methods & techniques, new age

international ltd. Publishers, Second edition, P.no27-42.

2. Gupta, S.P. Statistical methods and techniques, Sultan Chand & Sons.

Educational Publishers, New Delhi,P.no237-241,628-629

3. Jain,T.R, Statistics for MBA,V.K.(India) enterprises, New

Delhi.,edition2006-07,P.no 135-137

Magazines

1 Article By Dr. Banusnath, Indian Journal of Marketing, March 2006, pp

2 Advertising Effectiveness, By Dr. R.P. Singh, Indian Journal of

Marketing ,Dec 2006.

4. Chandra Suresh Indian Journal Of Marketing – xxxv edition January

2006, P

5. Business World Economy Dec 2005 P no.51-53

6. Business Today – Trends, April 23, 2006 P no. 17

7. Business Research – June 2005, Page 31

Websites

1. http://ideacellular.com/mission

2. http://www.bsnl.co.in/about.htm

3. http://ideacellular.com/IDEA.portal/history

4. http://www.bsnl.co.in/company/vision.htm

ANNEXURE

ANNEXURE

QUESTIONNAIRE

I am doing a survey on “Study of Consumer behavior regarding Telecom Service

providers (Airtel, Bsnl, Vodafone, Idea& Reliance) on the basis of Call rates, Network

Coverage, Value Added Services, Scheme and Customer Care Support.” and this survey

is being conducted in lieu of the partial fulfillment of dissertation for the degree of

M.B.A. and means no business. In this regard I wish to avail your kind co-operation.

Name of the respondent:- ………………

Age:-

Sex:-

Occupation:-………………………..

Income level:-

1. what type of connection you have?

Mobile. Landline.

2. Which category of mobile you are using?

GSM CDMA

3. What type of connection do you have?

Pre paid Post paid

4. Who amongst the following is your service provider? Airtel

Bsnl

Idea

Vodafone

Reliance

Any others

5. How did you come to know about these service providers?

Through peers

Advertisement

Publicity

Family members

Any others

6. Which factor influeced you the most to avail the services of the service provider?Call rates

Value added services

Network coverage

Customer care support

7. Are you aware abut the all other service providers available in the market?

Fully aware

Aware

Less aware

Neutral

Not so much

8. Are you satisfied with the amount of information content provided to you in the catalogue and handbooks?Yes NO

9. Which type of media influenced your purchase behavior?

T.V

Hording

News Papers & Magazines

Radio

Internet

10. Which is the most important factor according to you influenced most while

purchase of a sim-card?

Customer care support

Attractive Schemes

Value added services

Network coverage

11. What extent call rates influence your purchase of sim card?

High average

Response

Average

High

12. How many times do u switch over your service provider in last one year?

No switch over 1time 2 time 3 times morethan 3

13 Are you satisfied with the overall performance of the telecom service providers

in India?

Fully Satisfied

Satisfied

Average

Less satisfied

Poor

13. What is your post purchase experience with your telecom service provider?

Excellent

Very good

Good

Average

Poor

14. Are you satisfied with the customer care services of your service provider?

Fully Satisfied

Satisfied

Neutral

Dissatisfied

Fully Dissatisfied