Tata Tele on rural trail in Maharashtra
Daily News & Analysis — June 28, 2006

In an aggressive bid to increase its subscriber base, Tata Teleservices Maharashtra Ltd (TTML) has launched a slew of initiatives aimed at the rural areas. Charles Antony, managing director, TTML, told: DNA Money, "At present we have a market share of 15% in Maharashtra and to increase it further, we have introduced recharge voucher vans in the rural areas. Moreover, we are talking to panchayats who will help the villagers get recharge vouchers."

The company is also erecting 363 new towers in the rural areas of the state this fiscal, said Antony. The company has created separate divisions for enterprise, retail, post-paid and prepaid segments to be able to offer better customer service. Wireline and enterprise were the main growth areas for the company. The wireline segment offered better average revenue per user compared to the wireless segment, while the enterprise segment was growing fast, said Antony.

The company has put in place an enterprise customer group with a dedicated account management team that provides a single point of contact for enterprise customers. "We have designated a team of solution architects who conceptualise and design customised products to suit to individual business applications. We have geared up to provide value-added telecommunication consulting services to enterprises," Antony added.

Meanwhile, TTML is also leading a consortium to bid for the Rs 1,000-crore broadband connectivity initiatives of the Goa government — Goa State Wide Area Network. The consortium partners include Tata Consultancy Services and Videsh Sanchar Nigam.