AIRTEL : EXPRESS YOURSELF

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Executive Summary 02

2. Mobile Telephony And Its Changing Scenario In India 03

3. TRIAI 05

4. Major players 06

5. About Bharti Airtel 10

6. Bharti Airtel services 12

7. Airtel - Vision and Promise 14

8. Airtel - Core Values 14

9. Recent honors 15

10. Growth of Airtel 16

11. List of separate entities of Bharti Airtel 16

12. Rebranding 18

13. Signature tune and Airtel - SWOT Analysis 19

14. Launch of Airtel in J&K 23

15. Airtel night store 25

16. Barriers and use case study of mobile internet 48

17. Objectives of the Study 50

18. Questionarrie 50

19. Data Analysis 53

20. Findings and Suggestions 57

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20

countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks

amongst the top 4 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the

company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed

line services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national &

international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G

wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had nearly 287 million customers across

its operations at the end of Dec 2013.

At Airtel, we were assigned to study the barriers and use case study for mobile internet in the

40+ age group. We also worked for the promotion of AIRTEL NIGHT STORE service in

Jammu. This service of Airtel provides the user unlimited internet and calls facility at night.

We did our training under marketing division of the Airtel.

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MOBILE TELEPHONY AND ITS CHANGING SCENARIO IN INDIA

India is the world‘s second-largest telecommunications market. The mobile phone industry in

India is likely to contribute US$ 400 billion to the country‘s gross domestic product (GDP) and

has the potential to generate about 4.1 million additional jobs by 2020, as per Ms. Anne

Bouverot, Director General, Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA).

―India‘s data story is very promising. Vodafone is investing nearly US$ 3 billion over the next

two years in India in expanding its network infrastructure and distribution channel in the

country,‖ as per Mr. Vittorio Colao, CEO, Vodafone Plc.

The telecommunications industry attracted foreign direct investments (FDI) worth US$ 59,796

million between April 2000 to January 2014, an increase of 6 per cent to the total FDI inflows in

terms of US$, according to data published by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion

(DIPP).

Online platforms that support user-generated content can become an important part of India‘s

internet economy and contribute around Rs 2,490 billion (US$ 41.5 billion) by 2015, according

to Global Network Initiative (GNI) report titled ‗Closing the Gap: Indian Online Intermediaries

and a Liability System Not Yet Fit for Purpose‘.

BlackBerry has chosen India as the third country to set up enterprise solutions centers to educate

corporate customers about various BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) 10 solutions. "India is

one of the fastest growing markets in terms of smartphone and mobile data adoption,‖ said Mr.

Sunil Lalvani, Managing Director (MD), and BlackBerry India.

India‘s global system for mobile (GSM) operators added 4.14 million rural subscribers in

January 2014, taking the total to 285.35 million.

India's GSM cellular subscriber base increased marginally in November to 688.02 million with

an addition of 4.87 million new subscribers during the month, said industry body Cellular

Operators Association of India (COAI).

Data traffic powered by third generation (3G) services grew at 146 per cent in India during 2013,

higher than the global average that saw use double, according to an MBit Index study by Nokia

Siemens Networks (NSN). The data consumed per subscriber for 3G is 532 megabytes (MB),

against 146 MB for second generation (2G).

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Tata Teleservices plans to set up nearly 4,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in nine cities across the country in

the next two years. India's smartphone market grew by 171 per cent last year to 44 million

devices from 16.2 million in 2012, as per research firm IDC India.

The 20 km free Wi-Fi zone the longest across the globe was unveiled by Mr Nitish Kumar, the

Chief Minister of Bihar, Government of India.

Key Developments & Investments

Japanese companies are keen to establish telecom gear test labs in India even as the

government prepares to invite bids from private lab operators to pave the way for local

testing from July 2014.

Airtel Networks Kenya Ltd has sought an approval from the Communications Authority

of Kenya to acquire the telecommunications licenses and subscribers of Essar Telecom

Kenya Ltd.

Tata Communications has signed a collaboration agreement with Turkey's telecom

operator Turkcell Superonline to set up a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) node in

Istanbul.

Bharti Airtel and six other GSM majors serving the Africa and Middle-East markets plan

to forge network infrastructure sharing pacts to provide internet and mobile broadband

access to unserved rural communities and drive down mobile services delivery costs for

all sections of the population in these regions.

Infotech Enterprises, through its US arm, plans to buy the US-based Softential Inc, which

provides service management and service assurance solutions for telecom firms and cable

operators. The deal size is pegged in the range of Rs 150-180 crore (US$ 25-30 million).

Intelliverse Telecom, a cloud-based communication solutions provider launches

IntelliGreeter, a virtual voice attendant for call routing to any phone.

Bharti Airtel plans to invest more than Rs 4,000 crore (US$ 666.67 million) in Punjab

over a period of five years. The company aims to take its fourth generation long-term

evolution (4G LTE) services to all towns and villages across Punjab.

Reliance Jio Infocomm has signed a master services agreement with Bharti Infratel to

utilise the latter's telecom tower infrastructure to launch its high-speed 4G plans where it

will also offer voice over internet across the country.

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TRAI

The entry of private service providers brought with it the inevitable need for independent

regulation. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was, thus, established with effect

from 20th February 1997 by an Act of Parliament, called the Telecom Regulatory Authority of

India Act, 1997, to regulate telecom services, including fixation/revision of tariffs for telecom

services which were earlier vested in the Central Government.

TRAI's mission is to create and nurture conditions for growth of telecommunications in the

country in a manner and at a pace which will enable India to play a leading role in emerging

global information society.

One of the main objectives of TRAI is to provide a fair and transparent policy environment

which promotes a level playing field and facilitates fair competition.

In pursuance of above objective TRAI has issued from time to time a

large number of regulations, orders and directives to deal with issues

coming before it and provided the required direction to the evolution

of Indian telecom market from a Government owned monopoly to a

multi operator multi service open competitive market.

The directions, orders and regulations issued cover a wide range of subjects including tariff,

interconnection and quality of service as well as governance of the Authority.

The TRAI Act was amended by an ordinance, effective from 24 January 2000, establishing a

Telecommunications Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to take over the

adjudicatory and disputes functions from TRAI. TDSAT was set up to adjudicate any dispute

between a licensor and a licensee, between two or more service providers, between a service

provider and a group of consumers, and to hear and dispose of appeals against any direction,

decision or order of TRAI.

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MAJOR PLAYERS OF TELECOM SECTOR IN INDIA

Telecom industry community has three types of players.

State owned companies like- BSNL and MTNL

Privately owned Indian companies like- Reliance

Infocomm and Tata Teleservices.

Companies like - Hutchison-Essar, BPL Mobile, Bharti

Tele-Ventures, Idea Cellular, Escotel Spice Communications,

etc. were done with foreign investments.

Private operators hold 89.56% of the wireless subscriber market share where as BSNL and

MTNL, the two PSU operators hold only 10.44% market share. The graphical representations

of market shares and shares in net additions of all the service providers during the month of

May, 2014 are given below:

Service Provider wise Market Share as on 31st May, 2014

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1 | Airtel

Corporate office – New Delhi | Establishment – 1986 |

Business – Telecommunications & satellite TV | Website –

www.airtel.in |

Bharti Airtel Limited is India‘s largest telecom company

headquartered in New Delhi. Founded by Sunil Mittal in 1986

the company is fourth largest mobile op erator in the world.

Products offered by company includes mobile commerce, 2G,

3G and 4G wireless services, fixed line services, IPTV, high speed DSL broadband, DTH

and enterprise services.

2 | Reliance

Corporate office – Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra

| Establishment – 2004 |

Business – Mobile, Satellite TV and telecommunication

| Website – www.rcom.co.in |

Reliance Communications a flagship company of Reliance

Group was established in 2004 and is the second largest

telecom operator in India. Headquartered in Navi Mumbai, the

company has more than 150 million subscribers. The company‘s product offerings

include wireless, broadband, national and international long distance services.

3 | Tata docomo

Corporate office – New Delhi | Establishment – 2008 |

Business – Telecommunication sector | Website –

www.tatadocomo.com |

A Tata Group company providing cellular service on the

GSM, CDMA and platform. It is among the top telecom companies in India and the first

Indian telecom company to launch 3G services in India.

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4 | Vodafone

Corporate office – London, United Kingdom

| Establishment – 1991 |

Business – Telecommunications | Website –

www.vodafone.in |

Vodafone is a leading global telecommunications company

with operations in over 30 countries. Headquartered in

London, the company ranks amongst the top 4 telecom

companies globally in terms of subscribers and revenues. Company owns 45% of

Verizon Wireless, the largest mobile telecom company in the US measured by

subscribers.

5 | Idea

Corporate office – Mumbai, Maharashtra

| Establishment – 1995 |

Business – Telecommunications | Website –

www.ideacellular.com |

An Aditya Birla Group Company with over 121 million

customers. Idea is India among of the top 5 telecom companies which is offering 2G and

3G services with traffic of about 1.5 billion minutes a day.

6 | MTNL

Corporate office – New Delhi | Establishment – 1986 |

Business – Telecommunications | Website – www.mtnl.net.in |

Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited is an Indian state-owned

telecommunications company headquartered in New Delhi.

MTNL provides services in New Delhi and Mumbai in India

and Mauritius in Africa. It was incorporated in the year 1986.

7 | Aircel

Corporate office – Chennai, Tamilnadu | Establishment – 1999 |

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Business – Telecommunications | Website – www.aircel.com |

Aircel group provides messaging, wireless voice and data

services in India. It is a joint venture between Sindya

Securities & Investments Private Limited and Maxis

Communications Berhad of Malaysia.

8 | MTS

Corporate office – New Delhi | Establishment –

2008 |

Business – Telecommunications | Website –

www.mtsindia.in |

Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) is a subsidiary of Sistema a Russian conglomerate. MTS

provides wireless voice, messaging, broadband Internet and data services in India. The

company has more than 16 million customers.

9 | Uninor

Corporate office – Gurgaon, India

| Establishment – 2009 |

Business – Telecommunications | Website –

www.uninor.in |

Uninor is an Indian mobile service provider based in

Gurgaon. It is a Telenor Group company offering mobile data and voice services based

on the GSM platform. The company has over three crore subscribers in Goa, Gujarat,

Andhra Pradesh, Uttarkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.

10 | BSNL

Corporate office – New Delhi | Establishment – 2000 |

Business – Telecommunications | Website – www.bsnl.co.in |

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is a state-owned

telecommunications service provider established on 15

September 2000. It is the fourth largest mobile telephony

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provider and largest provider of fixed telephony in India.

ABOUT BHARTI AIRTEL

Bharti Airtel Limited, commonly known as Airtel, is an Indian

multinational telecommunications Services Company headquartered in New Delhi, India. It

operates in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa, and the Channel Islands. Airtel has a GSM

network in all countries in which it operates, providing 2G, 3G and 4G services depending upon

the country of operation. Airtel is the world's fourth largest mobile telecommunications company

by subscribers, with over 275 million subscribers across 20 countries as of July 2013. It is

the largest cellular service provider in India, with 192.22 million subscribers as of August 2013.

Airtel is the Second largest in-country mobile operator by subscriber base, behind China Mobile.

Airtel is the largest provider of mobile telephony and second largest provider of fixed

telephony in India, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services. It

offers its telecom services under the "Airtel" brand, and is headed by Sunil Bharti Mittal. Bharti

Airtel is the first Indian telecom service provider to achieve Cisco Gold Certification. It also acts

as a carrier for national and international long distance communication services. The company

has a submarine cable landing station at Chennai, which connects the submarine cable

connecting Chennai and Singapore.

Airtel is credited with pioneering the business strategy of outsourcing all of its business

operations except marketing, sales and finance and building the 'minutes factory' model of low

cost and high volumes. The strategy has since been copied by several operators. Its network—

base stations, microwave links, etc.—is maintained by Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Network

whereas IT support is provided by IBM, and transmission towers are maintained by another

company (Bharti Infratel Ltd. in India). Ericsson agreed for the first time to be paid by the

minute for installation and maintenance of their equipment rather than being paid up front, which

allowed Airtel to provide low call rates of 1/minute (US$0.02/minute).

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BHARTI AIRTEL LIMITED

Type Public company

Traded as BSE: 532454NSE: BHARTIARTL

BSE SENSEX Constituent

Industry Telecommunications

Founded 7 July 1995

Founder(s) Sunil Bharti Mittal

Headquarters Bharti Crescent, 1, Nelson Mandela Road, New Delhi, India

Area served India & South Asia, Africa, and the Channel Islands

Key people Sunil Bharti Mittal

(Chairman and MD)

Products Fixed line and mobile telephony, broadband and fixed-line internet

services, digital television and IPTV

Revenue 809.22 billion (US$14 billion) (2013-14)

Operating income 248.62 billion (US$4.2 billion) (2013-14)

Profit 22.67 billion (US$380 million) (2013-14)

Total assets 432.72 billion (US$7.3 billion) (2013-14)

Total equity 1273.7 billion (US$21 billion) (2013-14)

Employees 24,720 (2013-14)

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Parent Bharti Enterprises (52.7%)

SingTel (15.57%)

Vodafone (4.4%)

Subsidiaries Airtel Africa

Airtel Digital TV

Airtel Sri Lanka

Airtel Bangladesh

Website www.airtel.com

BHARTI AIRTEL SERVICES

Bharti Airtel is one of the world‘s leading providers of telecommunication services with

presence in 20 countries including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and 17 countries in the African

continent. In India, the company's offers products and services both for the end consumer as well

as for businesses. The consumer business offers 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile

commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV and Digital TV. The enterprise

services include national & international long distance services to large enterprises and carriers

and tower infrastructure services. In the rest of the geographies (i.e. Africa), it offers 2G, 3G

wireless services and mobile commerce.

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All these services are rendered under a unified brand ―Airtel‖ either directly or through

subsidiary companies. The Company also deploys, owns and manages passive infrastructure

pertaining to telecom operations under its subsidiary, Bharti Infratel Limited that owns 42% of

Indus Towers Limited. Together, Bharti Infratel and Indus Towers are the largest passive

infrastructure service providers in India.

The Company‘s zest towards operational and business excellence has been recognized through

Golden Peacock award for corporate excellence established by the Institute of Directors in 1992

to honor and recognize unique achievements in corporate excellence.

The Company re-organized the India operations into the B2C (Business to Consumer) and B2B

(Business to Business) entities to leverage inherent synergies across multiple product lines.

B2C – Services include:

1. Mobile Services

• Cellular mobile services across 20* countries

• Customer and revenue market leader in India

2. Telemedia Services

• Offers fixed telephony and broadband internet (DSL + IPTV)

• Services provided across 87* countries

3. Digital TV Services

• Pan India DTH operations

• Coverage across 639* districts

B2B – Services include

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Voice Services

Network Services

Data and Application Based

Data Center based services

Cloud based services

Digital Media services

AIRTEL - VISION AND PROMISE

By 2015 Airtel will be the most loved brand, enriching the lives of millions.

―Enriching lives means putting the customer at the heart of everything we do. We will meet their

needs based on our deep understanding of their ambitions, wherever they are. By having this

focus we will enrich our own lives and those of our other key stakeholders. Only then will we be

thought of as exciting, innovation, on their side and a truly world class company.‖

Core values of Airtel

Airtel understand that social progress and environment protection are extremely critical to

sustainable economic growth. Both these aspects are embedded in their core values. Their

corporate vision describes what they aim to do, their values of AIR ―Alive, Inclusive and

Respectful‖ describe how they intend to get there.

Alive

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We are alive to the needs of our customers. We act with passion, energy and a 'can do' attitude to

help our customers realize their dreams. Innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit drive us-if it

can't be done, we will find a way.

Inclusive

Airtel is for everyone — we champion diversity, recognizing the breadth and depth of the

communities we service. We work with them, anticipating, adapting and delivering solutions that

enrich their lives. We do this by having an open mind and embracing change.

Respectful

We live the same lives as customers, sharing the same joys and the same pains. We never forget

that they are why we exist. We act with due humility, always open and honest, to achieve mutual

respect.

Recent honours

Ranked the No.1 Service Brand and No.3 in the overall rankings of the annual Brand Equity

Most ' Trusted Brands Survey

Telecom Center of Excellence (TCOE) Award for Service Provider with Customer Focus for

Best Delivery of Network Services

Airtel Digital TV (HD) recognized as 'Product of the Year 2012', through an independent survey

conducted by the research firm, AC Nielsen

'Telecom Center of Excellence (TCOE) Award' for Service Provider with customer focus for best

delivery of Network Services for the year 2011

DSCI (Data Security Council of India) Excellence Award 2011 for Security in Telecom

Rated as one of the Top 5 best employers, by Aon Hewitt's Best Employers in India 2011 study

'Golden Peacock National Quality Award' for the year 2011

SSON Excellence Award under 'Excellence in Culture Creation' category for Airtel Center of

Excellence-Finance, RA, HR and SCM Shared Services

Featured amongst the Top 25 Companies globally in a study by Fortune- AON Hewitt on The

Best Companies for Leaders'

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Growth of Airtel

LIST OF SEPARATE ENTITITES OF BHARTI GROUP

1. Bharti Airtel Ltd

Bharti Airtel Ltd is India's leading provider of telecommunications services. The company has 4

distinct Business divisions - Mobile & telephone services, broadband services, long distance

services and enterprise services.

2. Bharti TeleTech Ltd

Bharti Teletech Ltd manufactures and exports world-class telecom equipment under the brand

'Beetle‘.

3. Bharti Retail Pvt. Ltd.

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Bharti Retail is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bharti Enterprises. Bharti Retail is setting up a

chain of multiple consumer friendly format stores in India which will be 100% owned &

operated by Bharti. Bharti Retail will provide consumers with products affordable prices, great

quality & wider choices. The company has launched neighborhood format stores called "Easy

Stores'.

4. Bharti Telesoft Ltd

Bharti Telesoft Ltd delivers best-in-class, revenue-critical VAS products and services to telecom

carriers.

5. Teletech Services (India) Ltd

Teletech Services (India) Ltd is joint venture with Teletech Inc., USA. It offers a range of

Customer Management Services.

6. Field Fresh. Foods Pvt. Ltd

Field Fresh Foods Pvt. Ltd. is Bharti's venture with EL Rothschild Group owned ELRO

Holdings India Ltd., to export fresh Agri-products exclusively to markets in Europe and USA.

7. Telecom Seychelles Ltd

Telecom Seychelles Ltd provides telecom services in Seychelles, under the brand 'Airtel'.

8. Bharti AXA General Insurance and Life Insurance

Bharti AXA Life Insurance is a joint venture between Bharti, and AXA, world leader in financial

protection & wealth Management. The joint venture company has a 74% stake from Bharti and

26% stake of AXA Asia pacific holdings (APH). They offer a range of life Insurance and Wealth

Management products.

9. Jersy Airtel Ltd.

Jersey Airtel, a subsidiary of Bharti, offers world class mobile services in Jersey (Channel

Islands) over its full 29, 39 and 11SDPA enhanced network. The company brings market reading

products & services to its customers under Airtel-Vodafone brand.

10. Bharti Foundation

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Bharti foundation was set up in 2000. It aims to create and support programs that bring about

sustainable changes through education and the use of technology and information.

11. Bharti Realty

Bharti Realty is the in-house Real Estate arm for Bharti Group and facilitates by extending

support to the group companies for identifying, developing and maintaining real estate.

12. Bharti Wallmart

Bharti Enterprises tied up with Wallmart for a chain of retail stores all over India. The two

companies, in August 2007, made a surprise statement that they have signed a wholesale cash-

and-carry deal. The first Best price Modern Wholesale opened in Amritsar in May 2009.

13. Centum Learning

Centum (formerly Bharti Learning Systems Limited), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bharti

Enterprises, is a learning and development organization that specializes in the customer

experience arena.

REBRANDING

On 18 November 2010, Airtel rebranded itself in India in the first phase of a global rebranding

strategy. The company unveiled a new logo with 'Airtel' written in lower case. Designed by

London-based brand agency, The Brand Union, the new logo is the letter 'a' in lowercase, with

'Airtel' written in lowercase under the logo. On 23 November 2010, Airtel Africa operations

were rebranded to 'Airtel'. Sri Lanka followed on 28 November 2010 and on 20 December 2010,

Warid Telecom rebranded to 'Airtel' in Bangladesh.

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Airtel unique symbol is an interpretation of the ‗a‘ in Airtel. The curved shape & the gentle

highlights on the red color make it warm & inviting, almost as if it were a living object. It

represents a dynamic force of unparalleled energy that brings Airtel and its customers closer.

Airtel specially designed logo type is modern, vibrant & friendly. It signals Airtel resolve to be

accessible, while the use of all lowercase is Airtel recognition for the need for humanity.

Red is part of Airtel heritage. It is the color of energy & passion that expresses the dynamism

that has made Airtel the success it is today, in India, and now on the global stage.

SIGNATURE TUNE

The signature tune of Airtel is composed by Indian musician A. R. Rahman. The tune became

hugely popular and is the world's most downloaded mobile music with over 150 million

downloads. A new version of the song was released on 18 November 2010, as part of the

rebranding of the company. This version too was composed by Rahman himself.

SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS

Biggest mobile service provider in world‘s second largest telecom market – Mobile

phone subscriptions now follow the normal population trends around the world. With

about 870 million wireless subscriptions, India ranks second after China in the wireless

market. Airtel has a 22.2% share of that market.

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Well-established nationwide infrastructure – Airtel has been in the market for 18+ years

and thus has towers and backhaul all over the country. This is a major advantage.

Deployment of new technologies or increasing capacity at times requires software and

minimal hardware upgrade. Having infrastructure already on the ground makes that process

much faster and smoother. Secondly, it is easier to capture new customers if a telco already

has a network in place.

High brand equity – Airtel is among India‘s most visible brands omnipresent in most parts

of the nation through television, print and various other forms of advertising. Celebrity

endorsements and innovative advertising that understand the pulse of market are some of

the assets of the Airtel brand.

Superior overall network quality and reliability – Bharti Airtel (along with Vodafone) runs

one of the better mobile networks‘ in India. They have nationwide penetration and although

there is no dearth of consumer complaints regarding dropped calls and slow data against

Airtel, it still offers a higher quality telecom service experience as compared to most other

telcos.

WEAKNESSES

High competition in the telecom market – Airtel, like all other service providers in India,

has been adversely affected by the extreme price competition. Although the average

voice call rates have gone up recently, they were as low as Rs. 0.6/min. (1 cent/min.) a

few years ago. The story is similar with data and 3G tariffs. As a result, the company has

been reporting declining profits for many years. ARPU had been decreasing too although

it is showing signs of bottoming out now.

Debt and finances – According to their latest quarterly report, Airtel is burdened by $9.7

billion in net debt, which is a lot of money when converted to rupees. How can Airtel

repay this debt is the question? Possibilities include stake and equity sale or spike in

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revenue. Depreciating rupee is also an issue since it results in foreign exchange losses

and increases the financing cost.

Africa acquisitions and operations – Airtel acquired Zain‘s Africa business for $9 billion

in 2010. Since then, it has struggled to turn around those operations reporting repeated

losses from the continent. While the Africa operation has widened the companies‘

geography, it continues to be a drag on its balance sheet.

Late adoption of 3G and advanced wireless technologies – Due to various regulatory

uncertainties and delayed spectrum auctions, India and Airtel were late to the 3G party.

3G services were launched by Airtel only in early 2011. The data tariffs were high,

speeds were unsatisfactory and customer acceptance of 3G was slow. The company lacks

nationwide 3G license with spectrum in 13 out of 22 telecom service areas. Airtel‘s LTE

network for mobile broadband is still confined to only 4 cities in India.

OPPORTUNITIES

Untapped voice market – Despite many believing that the voice market in India is close

to saturation, hundreds of millions remain without a phone. Recently, VLR (Visitor

Location Register) numbers released by the regulator TRAI showed that around 730

million out of the total 870 million are active connections. Given many people in India

use multiple SIMs, it is safe to say that mobile phone penetration in the country is less

than 50%. The opportunity for Airtel is huge, especially in the rural segment.

3G and data revenue – Airtel‘s 3G subscribers constitute less than 5% of its total

subscriber base. Apart from getting new 3G customers to join Airtel, there is immense

room for growth within its existing customers. The operator should be more aggressive in

marketing the benefits of high speed data access on phone. Simultaneously, it must

ensure faster and consistent data speeds on its network.

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LTE – The whole wireless world is moving towards LTE. LTE for mobile broadband can

be a good solution for India where fixed broadband penetration is otherwise low. Airtel

has taken the lead with this version of LTE in 4 cities, but deployment needs to catch up

pace. Despite a weak LTE ecosystem in India, Airtel should portray itself as the embracer

of that technology. It must pursue the device manufacturers to produce LTE capable

phones for India and then take the lead in the deployment of LTE for cellular networks

too.

Mergers and Acquisitions – Unfortunately, the M&A rules in India are yet to formally

declared although recent media reports have suggested that companies may be allowed to

merge as long as their market share in every circle is less than 50%. Airtel with a market

share of 22.2% should be good to acquire smaller telcos to reduce competition and add

subscribers and spectrum. Such acquisitions will incur huge spectrum costs, but it could

be well worth it in the long term.

THREATS

Unfriendly regulatory environment – The telecom industry in India has been plagued by a

hostile and unstable regulatory scenario. This has adversely affected the industry

sentiment and the wireless service providers. While some clarity has begun to emerge,

many guidelines are far from certain. Airtel has not remained untouched from this

chaos. And this threat would continue to linger for the next few years.

Spectrum Auctions and Reframing – Government of India and TRAI kept a high reserve

price for 3G, BWA and the recent 1800 MHz auction. Airtel had spent Rs. 123 billion

($2.7 billion per rupee to dollar conversion back then) for 3G airwaves. Since the returns

are slow due to low tariffs, buying the spectrum at high price is detrimental for the telcos.

Reframing 900 MHz is another terrible idea which would negatively impact Airtel‘s

finances, given that it will have to repurchase those airwaves to continue 2G operations.

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Mobile Number Portability – MNP gives the customer independence to change the

service provider while retaining the number. With similar tariffs across various telcos and

satisfaction with the current service provider being low, consumers are willing to jump

ship. The larger incumbent operators are losing millions of customers to the newer

players who attract these customers with their freebies and innovative offers.

Some of the points mentioned above also apply to big incumbent telcos in India like

Vodafone and Idea. But let us not forget that Airtel has been a torchbearer of the Indian

wireless industry. If it intends to remain in that position, a SWOT analysis like this one

will help. Overall, I am bullish on the company‘s future and believe that despite the

current difficulties, Bharti Airtel will continue to be a major player in India‘s

telecommunication sector.

LAUNCH OF AIRTEL IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR

Airtel became the first private sector cellular services provider to launch its mobile services in

J&K in October 2004. With this launch Airtel got a presence in 19 circles across the country.

Also now mobile subscribers in other parts of the country will be able to roam in Kashmir.

Sunil Mittal, chairman and managing director, Bharti Tele-ventures, said, ―The launch of Airtel

mobile service will have a profound impact on the economic growth of the entire region as it

would bridge distances, provide employment and also encourage tourism.‖ He added that Airtel

has received confirmed booking from 50,000 customers across the state. The company has begun

the service with 90 cell sites across 46 towns, to be expanded to 118 sites later. The network is

managed by Swedish equipment manufacturer Ericsson and is GPRS ready (general packet radio

services).

Bharti has employed 200 people for its operations in J&K directly and another 1,000 through its

distribution channel.

For the first time, the company has deployed three mobile switching centers (MSC) in the state

owing to the hilly terrain. In other states where it launched operations the company started with a

single MSC.

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The state-owned operator, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, had launched its mobile services in the

state a year back and now has a subscriber base of one lakh. Others operators were also planning

for launching their services in the state following the footsteps.

―We are delighted and humbled by the immense trust that over Twenty Three Lakh customers in

J&K have reposed on us,‖ Airtel J&K chief operating officer, Ramanand Swami said. He

attributed the success to quick roll out of the network across towns and over 3,500 villages and

creating two worlds Class customer services centers in Srinagar and Jammu, using Kashmiri &

Dogri language. Apart from efficient service delivery, said the innovative value added services

like hello tunes, music on demand, missed call alerts and information services have added to the

customer delight and satisfaction. ―We rededicate ourselves to consistent deliverance,‖ he

insisted.

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AIRTEL NIGHT STORE

Telecom major Bharti Airtel launched multiple unlimited-usage service packs, starting from Rs

7, for prepaid customers. Bharti Airtel introduced its Night Store — a first of its kind store that

will enable customers to buy value-for-money offers on their prepaid mobile for internet usage

and local calling at night, 12 midnight to 6am.

Airtel has made access to Facebook for jus rupee 1 during night hours, which users can activate

by dialing 129.

Under one of the night service offers, Airtel prepaid customers can make unlimited calls to local

Airtel numbers for Rs 7, unlimited 2G mobile internet for Rs 8 and combination of both these

services for Rs 15.

The company is also offering 500 MB of 3G services for Rs 29 and 1GB of 3G for Rs 49 during

night in service areas where it has 3G spectrum.

The offers come in the same month when the company has reduced benefit on mobile calls and

internet under some schemes.

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Airtel night pack can be started in just 3 simple steps

Select a night pack

Enter Airtel mobile number and receive one time password

Enter one time password to configure pack

Or simply call 129 to run the USSD code.

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PROMOTION OF AIRTEL NIGHT STORE PACK

Our project is about promotion of AIRTEL NIGHT STORE PACK in Jammu. This is the live

project we worked in. We worked in a team of five. We suggested the following ways to our

project guide for the promotion:

Facebook promotion

Gyms/ eating points/ teaching institutes

Retail outlets

Advertisement of night pack was posted in several Facebook groups and pages as a part of

promotion scheme. Various gyms, eating points and institutes were targeted. And for the third

strategy we were tagged with the area sales head.

1. ONLINE/VIRAL APPROACH.

Updating the information about NIGHT STORE on:

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Own Facebook Profile

Popular/Active Facebook Pages

2. TEACHING INSTITUTES ACTIVITIES

Placing banners in various institutes.

Performing the activities/contest and distributing freebees among the participants.

3. OFF-CAMPUS VISIBILITY

Placing a poster/flex/banner outside MBS and MIET campus.

4. APPROACHING CYBER CAFÉ AND EATING POINT IN JAMMU

Placing the posters/flex/A4 inside/outside the premises of the Cyber Café.

Placing the poster of AIRTEL NIGHT STORE inside and outside various gyms and eating points.

5. RECREATION SPOTS

Placing flex/posters/banners of AIRTEL-NIGHT STORE inside/outside gyms and

snooker pools.

6. RURAL AREAS

Placing posters in rural areas about the launch of AIRTEL NIGHT PACK

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EVENT 1– ONLINE/ VIRAL APPROACH

The first event that our team undertook was to make the new launch Airtel-NIGHT STORE goes

viral by promoting it on the social media. Facebook has been the major tool in making the

promotions viral. This was accomplished by promoting this new launch through various popular

and active Facebook pages viz.

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EVENT 2 - APPROACHING CYBER CAFÉ AND TUTION CENTERS IN

JAMMU

We covered the cyber café in Kachi-Chawni and near University of Jammu, which are the hub

for the major student population in Jammu. We placed the flex of Airtel night store within and

outside the permises of various tution centers.

CYBER CAFÉ IN KACHI CHAWNI

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JUNGLE DOT COM – NEAR UNIVERSITY OF JAMMU

We also covered the tuition centers in Jammu. We put the flex of Airtel – NIGHT STORE inside

the premises and educated the youths about Airtel night pack. We conducted a small quiz contest

among the students of institutes. Winners were selected and freebies (Airtel – pens and key

chains, music CDs) were distributed among them. We covered tuition centers in Kachi-chawni,

Gandhi Nagar, and Shastri Nagar

Following are the photographs of the tuition centers we covered:

THE HEAD HUNTERZ- GANDHI NAGAR

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VECTOR INSTITUTE, SHASTRI NAGAR

ACHIEVER INSTITUE, SHASTRI NAGAR

ABHIMANU IAS ACADEMY, GANDHI NAGAR

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MASTER MIND CLASSES, KACHI CHAWNI

PG NEAR ASL TUTORIAL, KACHI CHAWNI

GURUKUL INSTITUTE, KACHI CHAWNI

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EVENT 3 – RECREATION POINTS

Gyms and various eating points were targeted, where majority of the youth spends time.

MOMO HUT SHASTRI NAGAR

RK SWEET SHOP, THANDI KHUI

JANTA FRUIT ICE-CREAM GANDHI NAGAR

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DHABA OPPOSITE KFC

STYLE WITH KRISH PARLOUR, SHASTRI NAGAR

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FRESH LOOK PARLOUR, CANAL ROAD

OASIS GYM REHARI

FUSION FITNESS, CHANNI HIMMAT

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PLATINUM GOLD GYM, BAHU PLAZA

ZAMINDARA DHABA, THANDI KHUI

POOL AND SNOOKER CLUB REHARI

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NOKIA PRIORITY DEALER

SAHIL BOOK CENTRE

CREAMY BITE ICE CREAM PARLOUR

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EVENT 3 – AREAS (SAMBA, PLAOURA VIJAYPUR, KOT BHALWAL,

KUD)

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EVENT 4 – OFF- CAMPUS VISIBILITY

Our next target areas were the student hubs outside MIET, Jammu University and MBS campus.

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We know that a large proportion of older people do not use communications technology, the

question is, why not? Some of the important barriers to older people adopting digital

technologies include:

• Lack of home access to the internet:

The dominant reason for not having or seeking access is that older people don‘t feel they need it.

• Low awareness of what technology can offer:

Most of the people have access to the internet but don‘t use it. They feel that digital technology

has no relevance for them and that they would gain nothing by using it.

• Inadequate marketing:

Technology marketing is generally aimed at the young, promoting gimmicky aspects of products

that don‘t interest older people. Or, marketing is aimed at the frail elderly, a group with which

older people don‘t identify.

• Inappropriate design:

Digital equipment is designed to attract young buyers who have grown up using technology.

Small buttons, fiddly controls and unnecessarily complicated interfaces can all be barriers to

older, or less adept, users. The appearance of ‗special‘ equipment is also a deterrent for some

older people who don‘t want ugly objects cluttering up their homes.

• Anxieties:

Older people tend to have certain fears regarding technology. One of them is cost: they assume,

for example, that computers cost more than they actually do. Another is breaking equipment or

doing something wrong. A third is security: although older people don‘t know enough about

technology to be familiar with common security problems, many know enough to be concerned

These barriers prevent many older people from using communications technology for social

interaction. Many older people believe they don‘t understand technology, aren‘t equipped to deal

with it, and don‘t really need to: technology is for the young, not for them.

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OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

To study the barriers and use of mobile internet in the age group of 40-50.

In addition, the research focused on two categories:

The digitally excluded, who have little or no opportunity of accessing the internet

The digitally dismissive, who have (or potentially have) a means of accessing the

internet but choose not to use it.

The research covered three main areas:

Understanding of the mobile internet and perceived barriers

Potential benefits of using the internet.

Ways to overcome barriers and enable older people to make use of the internet.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES

More specifically, the objectives for the research were:

To explore older people‘s knowledge, attitudes and preferences regarding the internet.

To discover any barriers that is likely to prevent older people (or particular groups of

older people) from using computers and the internet.

To understand older people‘s views on how to overcome the barriers.

To suggest ways to overcome these barriers.

QUESTIONNAIRE

The questionnaire was carefully developed tested and debugged before they were administered

on a large scale. Each questions contributed to the research objective here questionnaire is

structured types means there are concrete, definite and predetermined questions. The questions

are presented are exactly same wording and in the same an order to all respondents. The

questionnaire had a mix type of open ended and closed ended.

The questions were limited in numbers simple direct and unbiased technology was adopted.

Questionnaire was prepared, for the elder people in the age group of 40-50.

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A total of 14 questions were framed for the people

The questionnaire was designed in such a way so as to get a response which was critical to

the overall research.

Questions regarding overall experience were asked and the major contributing factor was also

put in and responses were given weightage.

QUESTIONNAIRE

We are conducting a survey on the barriers to mobile internet use by the people in age group of

40-50. Please take a few minutes to answer the following questions. The result of this evaluation

will be used to improve the future offerings.

Name: ………………………………………………………………………………………

Gender: (a) Male (b) Female

Circle your Age Group: (a) 35 - 45 (b) 45 - 55 (c) above 55

Q1. What is your occupation?

(a) Professional (Doctor, Engineer, teacher, Lawyer)

(b) Managerial/Executive

(c) Administrative/Clerical

(d) Self Employed

(e) Others ………………………………………………………………………………………

Q2.What is your education qualification, please specify (for others)?

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILLING THE QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Please answer all the questions.

2. Do not mark more than one option.

3. Give valuable suggestions at the end of each question.

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............................................................................................................................................................

Q3. Have you ever had access to internet?

(a) Yes

(b) No

Q 3.1 If no, then why?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………....

Q3.1.1 Are you interested in using internet?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Q 3.1.1.1 If yes, that what steps do you want to be taken by internet providers?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Q 3.2 If yes, then what device you used for accessing internet?

(a) Desktop/Laptop

(b) Mobile/Tab

Q5. If you use PC, have you ever used internet on mobile?

(a) Yes

(b) No

Q5.1 If no, then what are the barriers?

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............................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................................

........………………………………………………………………………………………………....

Q5.2 If yes, then how do you find it useful?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………....

Q6. What is the main purpose of using internet on mobile?

(a) E-mail

(b) Social sites

(c) Others…………………………………………………………………………………

Q7. Are you still using mobile internet?

(a) Yes

(b) No

Q 7.1 if no, then why you discontinued using it? Please specify?

………………………………………………………………………………………………............

………………………………………………………………………………………………............

………………………………………………………………………………………………............

Q7.2 If yes, then what makes you continuing it?

………………………………………………………………………………………………............

………………………………………………………………………………………………............

1. Gender ratio of respondents: 40% of the respondents were female and 60% were male.

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2. Age group of respondents: 27% of the respondents are in age group of 40-45, 43% in

the age group of 45-55 and 30% are above 55.

3. Occupation of respondents: 12% of the respondents are professionals, 8% are

managers, 35% are clerical, 18% are self -employed and 27% lies in others category

0

100

200

Male Female

Series1 120 80

No

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resp

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Gender

0

20

40

60

80

100

40-45 45-55 55 ABOVE

Series1 55 85 60

Age

of

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Age group

010203040506070

Professional

Managerial Clerical Selfemployed

Others

Series1 24 16 55 35 70

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4. Access to internet: 66% of the respondents have never accessed internet while 34% have

accessed internet.

5. If no access to internet then, respondents interested in using internet(132): out of 132

respondents who have never accessed to internet, 57% of respondents, if given an

opportunity are interested in having knowledge about internet. While 43% don‘t want to

learn it at all.

6. Device used for accessing internet: 50% of the respondents use desktop/pc for accessing

internet, while 28% use mobile for accessing internet and 22% use both devices.

0

50

100

150

Yes No

Series1 68 132

No

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Access to internet

0

20

40

60

80

Interested in using Not interested in using

Series1 75 57

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7. If used PC (34), then ever accessed internet on mobile: 35% of respondents use mobile

internet along with PC and 65% of the respondents use only PC.

8. Still using mobile internet (46): 35% of the respondents use mobile internet frequently

and find it useful while 65% of the respondents have stopped using mobile internet

because of various reasons enlisted below.

0

20

40

Desktop/Laptop Mobile/Tab Both

Series1 34 19 15

No

. of

resp

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nts

Device used

0

5

10

15

20

25

Yes No

Series1 12 22

No

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Internet access on mobile

0

10

20

30

Yes No

Series1 16 30

No

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resp

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Based on above data analysis and responses given by respondents we came across various

barriers that hinder use of mobile internet by the people generally in the age group above 50.

Inspite of various barriers there are certain potential enablers that prompt people to use mobile

internet. These barriers and enablers are listed below.

BARRIERS TO THE USE OF MOBILE INTERNET:

Out of sample size of 200, there are 68 people use internet while 132 are those who don‘t use

internet at all. Out of 132 people 57 are such people who don‘t want to use it at all. Main barriers

for not using mobile internet are:

Bad experience/ negative word of mouth

Low level of education.

Low awareness of what technology can offer: people feel that digital technology has no

relevance for them and that they would gain nothing by using it.

Hidden cost: Older people tend to have certain fears regarding technology. One of them is

cost, they assume, that the mobile internet costs more than they actually do.

Lack of understanding of and confidence with ‗how technology works‘

‗Too hard‘ or that they are ‗too old to learn ‗something new.

Affordability is also an issue for some (particularly those with the lowest incomes).

Doing something wrong: for example, pressing the wrong button and breaking the machine.

Feeling foolish: participants‘ inability to use a computer/the internet makes them feel

embarrassed in front of others, particularly younger family members who can express

impatience.

The internet as an insecure environment: some people express concerns over internet

security. Some report having heard about internet fraud from friends or family or having

read such stories in the press. Combined with the lack of understanding and confidence of

how the internet ‗works‘, this contributes to a feeling of vulnerability and anxiety with

respect to the internet.

Waste of time: There is a perception that the internet could ‗take over‘ at the expense of

‗real-life activities‘ such as face-to-face socializing.

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Inappropriate design: Digital equipment is designed to attract young buyers who have

grown up using technology. Small buttons, fiddly controls and unnecessarily complicated

interfaces can all be barriers to older, or less adept, users.

POTENTIAL ENABLERS

Although older people‘s understanding of how the internet and computers work is often very

low, their unprompted knowledge of its potential uses and benefits is often surprisingly high. The

most frequently mentioned uses of the internet and computers include:

Evolution of smartphones

Accessibility (portability)

Easy connectivity

Easy to recharge

Keeping in touch: a number were aware of using mobile internet for keeping in touch

with family and friends abroad as well as with younger members of the family.

Time saving and convenient: home shopping was mentioned as an example of

something that is convenient for all and particularly beneficial for those who are housebound.

CONCLUSION

According to the study conducted on the topic ―Barriers and use cases of mobile internet for 40

above age group‖ we found out various reasons for low internet penetration in the concerned age

group.

To conclude our study we came across with various barriers which resulted in low internet

penetration.

Among them the top three barriers are:

1. High Cost/ hidden cost.

2. They do not find smart phones valuable and easy to operate.

3. Low awareness of what technology can offer.

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SUGGESTIONS

Awareness raising campaigns can be held to actively promote relevant benefits of

internet.

Focus on training/access to help if required.

Providing those on state pension and other low income groups with free access to the

internet.

Marketing does not reflect older people’s interests: Generally, technology is not

marketed to older people in a way that reflects their needs and interests. So internet

service can be targeted to older section of society.

Subsidies: providing low tariff internet plans to senior citizens.

Invest more to improve network in remote/rural locations.

LIMITATIONS

Summer holidays in majority of schools and colleges this lead to non-availability of large

number of student gathering.

Non cooperative attitude of some of the tuition centers as the front bench did not have the

authority to allow us to organize an event.

Time constraints: two weeks was a little less time as many tuition centers had issues with

the dates for our event to occur which were after our summer training tenure.