At a time when the department of telecommunications is mulling an exit option for a host of companies given licences in 2008, Telenor ASA-controlled Uninor has emphasised that it is here to stay and doesn’t wish to exit the Indian market.
?There are incumbents and there are new players, we would like to position ourselves as a third category. Though new, we are serious about our India operations and don’t wish to exit the market?, Rajiv Bawa, executive vice-president, corporate affairs Uninor told FE.
?Undoubtedly the market is highly competitive and we are incurring losses but the focus right now is to add customers who can experience our services and then lead us to gain a relatively decent market share. We will focus on the revenue market share once this phase is complete,? Bawa said. The company currently has an average revenue per user of close to Rs 100 which is 33% lesser than the industry average of Rs 150.
The company recorded a 109% increase in its revenue in the third quarter at Rs 116 crore. ?This is because the Arpus and the primary SIM card usage in the five new circles has been increasing,? Bawa said.
The Norwegian telecom operator Telenor has a 67.25% stake in the company while the remaining is held by Unitech. The company has licence for 22 circles across the country but currently operates in 13 circles. ?Uninor has emerged as the third highest operator in the country in terms of new subscriber additions within nine months of its operations. The company’s pan-India customer base has now crossed 10 million. With a few days to go, the company?s revenue growth is expected to cross 100% from Q2 to Q3 with a subscriber base growth of 79% in the same period. Revenue growth is coming from an overall increase in minutes of usage as well as improving Arpu?, Bawa explained. The company recently experienced a shift in the top level management with its Asia head Sigve Brekke also assuming the role of India head.
