|
Shyam Telecom eyes expansion in the south
Neeraja Kumar
New Delhi : Given the favourable environment for operating basic services, telecom manufacturer and operator - Shyam Telecom is planning to expand its telecom network into at least three southern states. The company, which operates both cellular and basic services in Rajasthan, is currently evaluating all the Southern states, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. Mr Rajiv Mehrotra, managing director, Shyam Telecom said, "we are currently looking at all the Southern states and will shortly take a final decision to enter into at least two or three of these circles." Shyam Telecom is exploring the option of entering the new circles either through the basic services route or as the fourth operator. However, the company is yet to take a final decision on its entry route. "The decision on whether to bid as the fourth operator will depend on a lot of factors. But we will take a final decision by the end of January," said Mr Mehrotra, who also predicts that the bidding for the fourth operatorwill be aggressive, regardless of the claims of cellular operators to the contrary. The company was currently talking to its existing partners as well as other foreign investors, who were very keen to enter into basic telecom services in India, which had now become a very viable business, added Mr Mehrotra. Shyam Telecom currently operates cellular services in 11 cities in Rajasthan, under the brand name Oasis, through the group company Hexacom, in an alliance with TIW, Canada and Telecom Consultant India Limited (TCIL).According to Mr Mehrotra, Shyam Telecom chose the Southern region to expand its operations, because the real growth in terms of subscriber base is happening in South India, thereby making it very lucrative. Moreover, in after liberalisation of the National Long Distance ((NLD) telephony, contiguity was not an issue anymore, he explained. Copyright © 2001 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
|
