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COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS OF AIRTEL V/S VODAFONE

Semester Project submitted in partial Fulfillment for award of Master in Business Administration

2012-13
By

ATUL KUMAR VERMA


MBA IST YEAR, IIND SEM Enrollment no.1200101387 Roll no. 1200122019

Under the guidance of


MISS ASMA FAROOQUI
(FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT) INTEGRAL UNIVERSITY, Dasauli, P.O. Bas-ha, Kursi Road, Lucknow.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
During the preparation of this report by me, I feel great pleasure because this report has given me extensive practical knowledge in my career. I am thankful to MISS ASMA FAROOQUI for valuable inspiration and guidance provided me throughout the preparation of this semester project. This report would not be possible without his constant guidance and support at every stage. I would also like to thank Prof. (Dr.) Zeeshan Amir, Dean, faculty of Department of Business Management, for her constant motivation. I would like to take opportunities to express my gratitude towards all of them who have contributed directly or indirectly in my project work. At last I would like to extend my deep sense of gratitude to my friends, colleagues and each individual who directly or indirectly help me during the project work.

ATUL KUMAR VERMA


MBA IST YEAR Roll No. 1200122019 Enrollment No. 1200101387

GUIDE DECLARATION
This is to certify that Mr. Atul Kumar Verma has undertaken his semester project on. COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS OF AIRTEL

V/S VODAFONE He has completed his project report under my supervision and guidance. To the best of my knowledge his work is genuine and satisfactory. I wish him all the success in future.

MISS ASMA FAROOQUI

(FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT)

Date

Signature...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As learning is a human activity and is as natural, as breathing. Despite of the fact that learning is all pervasive in our lives, psychologists do not agree on how learning takes place. How individuals learn is a matter of interest to marketers. They make aware to the customer about their product, quality, benefits and promotional activities. They want to teach retailers in their roles as their roles as consumers. They want retailers to learn about their products, product attributes, potential consumers benefit, how to use, maintain or even dispose new ways of behaving that will of the product and satisfy not only the

consumers needs, but the marketer s objectives. The scope of my study restricts itself to the analysis of customer and retailer preferences, perception and consumption of COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS OF AIRTEL V/S VODAFONE .There are brands of telecom available but my study is limited to one major players of airtel.

TABLE OF CONTENT
Cover Page Acknowledgement Guide Declaration Executive Summary Index Chapter - I : Introduction Chapter - II : Brief Profile of the Company Chapter - III : Research Methodology i. Objective ii. Research Design Chapter - IV : Analysis and Interpretation of Data Chapter - V : Findings, Conclusion and Suggestions Bibliography Annexures Questionnaire 1 2 3 4 5 6-11 12-61 62 63 64-65 66-75 76-79 80-81 82 83-84

Chapter - I
Introduction

A brief history of Tele sector in India


In the early 1990s, the Indian government adopted a new economic policy aimed at improving India's competitiveness in the global markets and the rapid growth of exports. Key to achieving these goals was a world-class telecom infrastructure. In India, the telecom service areas are divided into four metros (New Delhi , Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata) and 20 circles, which roughly correspond to the states in India. The circles are further classified under "A," "B" and "C," with the "A" circle being the most attractive and "C" being the least attractive. The regulatory body at that time the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) allocated two cellular licenses for each metro and circle. Thirty-four licenses for GSM900 cellular services were auctioned to 22 firms in 1995. The first cellular service was provided by, Modi Telstra in Kolkata in August 1995. For the auction, it was stipulated that no firm can win in more than one metro, three circles or both. The circles of Jammu and Kashmir and Andaman and Nicobar had no bidders, while West Bengal and Assam had only one bidder each. In 1996, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha, and the president officially announced the TRAI ordinance on 25 January 1997. The government decided to set up TRAI to separate regulatory functions from policy formulation, licensing and telecom operations. Prior to the creation of TRAI, these functions were the sole responsibility of the DOT. High license fees and excessive bids for the cellular licenses put tremendous financial burden on the operators, diverting funds away from network development and enhancements. As a result, by 1999 many operators failed to pay their license fees and were in danger of having their licenses withdrawn. In March 1999, a new telecom policy was put in place (New Telecom Policy [NTP] 1999). Under this new policy, the old fixed-licensing regime was to be replaced by a revenue-sharing scheme whereby between 8-12 percent of cellular revenue were to be paid to the government.

Introduction to Airtel India


Bharti Airtel Limited, commonly known as Airtel, is an Indian multinational telecommunications Services Company headquartered at New Delhi, India. It operates in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa and the Channel Islands. Airtel has 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 third largest mobile telecommunications company with over 261 million subscribers across 20 countries as of August 2012. It is the largest cellular service provider in India, with 183.61 million subscribers as of November 2012. Airtel is the third largest in-country mobile operator by subscriber base, behind China Mobile and China Unicom. Airtel is the largest provider of mobile telephony and second largest provider of fixed telephony in India, and is also a provider of broadband andsubscription 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 Chennaiand 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 networkbase stations, microwave links, etc.is maintained by Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Network whereas business 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). During the last financial year (200910), Bharti negotiated for its strategic partner Alcatel-Lucent to manage the network infrastructure for the tele-media business. On 31 May 2012, Bharti Airtel awarded the three-year contract to Alcatel-Lucent for setting up an Internet Protocol access network (mobile backhaul) across the country. This would help consumers access internet at faster speed and high quality internet browsing on mobile handsets.

Introduction to Vodafone India


Vodafone Group Plc is a British multinational telecommunications company headquartered in London and with its registered office in Newbury, Berkshire. It is the world's second-largest mobile telecommunications company measured by both subscribers and 2011 revenues (in each case behind China Mobile), and had 439 million subscribers as of December 2011. Vodafone owns and operates networks in over 30 countries and has partner networks in over 40 additional countries. Its Vodafone Global Enterprise division provides telecommunications and IT services to corporate clients in over 65 countries. Vodafone also owns 45% of Verizon Wireless, the largest mobile telecommunications company in the United States measured by subscribers. Vodafone has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It had a market capitalisation of approximately 89.1 billion as of 6 July 2012, the third-largest of any company listed on the London Stock Exchange. It has a secondary listing on NASDAQ.

INDIAN

CELLUAR

MARKET-EARLIER

ROAD

BLOCKS

AND

THEIR

RESOLUTIONIR RESOLUTION Indian Cellular market immediately after the first round of licensing in 1994-96 was beset by several problems for 3 - 4 years till the New Telecom Policy of 1999 was announced. Some of these roadblocks / current position is tabulated below:

ROADBLOCKS CURRENT POSITION High license fees Migration to revenue sharing mode in 1999 mitigates high initial fund requirements for payment of license fees. Inadequately funded businesses / weak and fragmented promoters Businesses that have since been adequately funded growing at over 60% per annum, while businesses with weak promoters continuing to languish - spate of acquisitions / mergers, with 4/5 major groups emerging in the last one/two years. Regulatory Authority not in place. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) firmly in place, and its role being accepted by all operators; Dept. of Telecommunications (DOT) restructured, with operations and policy making roles vested in different bodies. Issues relating to unfavorable interconnect terms for private operators, pass through income, intra circle long distance, spectrum availability and allocation and the like remained unresolved for long periods. Interconnect terms since rationalized, risks on pass through income to DOT / BHARTI (Maha-Nagar Telecom Nigam Ltd.) resolved to the satisfaction of all parties with changes in methodology / revenue sharing, intra circle long distance allowed, spectrum availability cleared with vacation of frequencies for usage by GSM operators.

Problems in Financial closures due to: Licensing tenure of 10 years Large upfront cash requirements from promoters due to heavy license fee burden in initial stages of deployment Asset based financing approach by Indian Financial Institutions. Licensing tenure increased from 10 to 20 years Large upfront cash requirements for license fee payments mitigated with migration to revenue sharing mode allowing promoters to deploy more capital for capital expenditure; project financing being considered by most financial institutions.
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Foreign ownership / change of partner limitations Foreign ownership norms clarified, and change of partners allowed as a matter of routine allowing ease of entry / exit - paves the way for full control of businesses by foreign companies. Inadequate growth of market / subscribers Roadblocks spelt out earlier resulted in low market / subscriber growth, but with corrective measures taken, market / subscriber base expected to zoom.

REGULATORY ISSUES The operations of this sector are determined as under the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885. A document buried in the sands of time. The next major policy document, which was produced, was the National Telecom Policy of 1994, a consequence of the on going process of liberalization. Year 1851 1943 1985 1986 1991 1994 1994 September 1994 November 1994 December 1994 January 1995 Event First telephones in India Nationalization of telephone companies DOT was created Creation of BHARTI and VSNL Telecom equipment liberalized Licenses for paging Telecom policy announced Guidelines for private sector participation in basic services Cellular licenses issued for metros Tenders for cellular licenses in 19 cities apart from 4 metros Tenders for 2nd operator in basic services apart from DOT

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on circle basis. August 1995 January 1996 November 1998 VSNL launches Internet services TRAI formed Internet policy announced

Chapter - II
Brief Profile of the Company
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Airtel Company Profile


Name
Bharti Airtel Limited.

Business Description
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 over 269 million customers across its operations at the end of March 2013.

Established
July 07, 1995, as a Public Limited Company

ISIN
INE397D01024

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Proportionate Revenue
Rs. 202,395 million (ended December 31, 2012-Audited) Rs. 184,767 million (ended December 31, 2011-Audited) As per IFRS Accounts

Proportionate EBITDA
Rs. 61,839 million ( ended December 31, 2012 - Audited) Rs. 59,584 million ( ended December 31, 2011- Audited) As per IFRS Accounts

Shares in Issue
3,797,530,096 as at December 31, 2012

Listings
Bombay Stock Exchange Limited (BSE) National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE)

Stock Exchange Symbol


NSE BHARTIARTL BSE 532454

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Customer Base
India & South Asia: 189,416,000 GSM mobile; 3,278,000 Tele media customers and 7,894,000- Digital TV Services (status as on December 31, 2012) Africa: 61,6877,000 GSM mobile customers. (status as on December 31, 2012)

Registered Office
Bharti Airtel Limited (A Bharti Enterprise) Bharti Crescent, 1 Nelson Mandela Road, Vasant Kunj, Phase II, New Delhi - 110 070.

History
Sunil Mittal founded the Bharti Group. In 1983, Mittal was in an agreement with Germany's Siemens to manufacture push-button telephone models for the Indian market. In 1986, Mittal incorporated Bharti Telecom Limited (BTL), and his company became the first in India to offer push-button telephones, establishing the basis of Bharti Enterprises. By the early 1990s, Sunil Mittal had also launched the country's first fax machines and its first cordless telephones. In 1992, Mittal won a bid to build a cellular phone network in Delhi. In 1995, Mittal incorporated the cellular operations as Bharti Tele-Ventures and launched service in Delhi. In 1996, cellular service was extended to Himachal Pradesh. In 1999, Bharti Enterprises acquired control of JT Holdings, and extended cellular operations to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. In 2000, Bharti acquired control of Skycell Communications, in Chennai. In 2001, the company acquired control of Spice Cell in Calcutta. Bharti Enterprises went public in 2002, and the company was listed on Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India. In 2003, the cellular phone operations were rebranded under the single Airtel brand. In 2004, Bharti acquired control of Hexacom and entered Rajasthan. In 2005, Bharti extended its network to Andaman and Nicobar. This
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expansion allowed it to offer voice services all across India. In 2009, Airtel launched its first international mobile network in Sri Lanka. In 2010, Airtel acquired the African operations of the Kuwait based Zain Telecom. In March 2012; Airtel launched a mobile operation in Rwanda. Today, Airtel is the largest cellular service provider in India and the third largest in the world. On 26 February 2013, Airtel announced that it had deployed Ericssons Mobile Broadband Charging (MBC) solution and completely modernized its prepaid services for its subscribers in India. As a part of the deal, Ericssons multi service MBC suite allows prepaid customers to have personalized profile based data charging plans. Prepaid customers will be able to customize their data plans across mobility, fixed line and broadband by cross bundling across multiple domains (2G, 3G, 4G/LTE & Wi-Fi). It will also offer flexible multi service charging in geographical redundant mode, making Airtel the first operator to implement geographical redundancy at such a large scale

Vision "As we spread wings to expand our capabilities and explore new horizons, the fundamental focus remains unchanged: seek out the best technology in the world and put it at the service of our ultimate user: our customer." These are the premise on which Bharti Enterprises has based its entire plan of action. Bharti Enterprises has been at the forefront of technology and has revolutionized telecommunications with its world-class products and services. Established in 1985, Bharti has been a pioneering force in the telecom sector. With many firsts and innovations to its credit, ranging from being the first mobile service in Lucknow, first private basic telephone service provider in the country, first Indian company to provide comprehensive telecom services outside India in Seychelles and first private sector service provider to launch National Long Distance Services in India. Bharti had approximately 3.21 million total customers nearly 2.88 million mobile and 334,000 fixed line customers. Its services sector businesses include mobile operations in Andhra Pradesh, Chennai,

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Lucknow, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh circle, Maharashtra circle, Mumbai, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh (West) circle. In addition, it also has fixed-line operations in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Lucknow, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and nationwide broadband and long distance networks. Bharti has recently launched national long distance services by offering data transmission services and voice transmission services for calls originating and terminating on most of India's mobile networks. The Company is also implementing a submarine cable project connecting Chennai-Singapore for providing international bandwidth. Bharti Enterprises also manufactures and exports telephone terminals and cordless phones. Apart from being the largest manufacturer of telephone instruments, it is also the first telecom company to export its products to the USA. Bharti Tele-Ventures' strategic objective is to capitalize on the growth opportunities that the Company believes are available in the Indian telecommunications market and consolidate its position to be the leading integrated telecommunications services provider in key markets in India, with a focus on providing mobile services.

The Company has developed the following strategies to achieve its strategic objective: Focus on maximizing revenues and margins; Capture maximum telecommunications revenue potential with minimum geographical coverage; Offer multiple telecommunications services to provide customers with a "one-stop shop" solution; Position itself to tap data transmission opportunities and offer advanced mobile data services; Focus on satisfying and retaining customers by ensuring high level of customer satisfaction;

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Leverage strengths of its strategic and financial partners; and Emphasize on human resource development to achieve operational efficiencies.

Businesses Bharti Tele-Ventures current businesses include Mobile services Fixed-line National and international long distance services VSAT, Internet services and network solutions Broadband services with DSL and Wi-Fi network

Competitive Strengths Bharti Tele-Ventures believes that the following elements will contribute to the Company's success as an integrated telecommunication services provider in India and will provide the Company with a solid foundation to execute its business strategy: Nationwide Footprint - approximately 92% of India's total mobile subscribers resided in the Company's fifteen mobile circles. These 15 circles collectively accounted for approximately 56% of India's land mass; Focus on telecommunications to enable the Company to better anticipate industry trends and capitalize on new telecommunications-related business opportunities. The strong brand name recognition and a reputation for offering high quality service to its customers; Quality management team with vision and proven execution skills; and The Company's strong relationships with international strategic and financial investors such as SingTel, Warburg Pincus, International Finance Corporation, Asian Infrastructure Fund Group and New York Life Insurance. Brand Architecture:

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Bharti is working on a complex three-layered branding architecture to: Create specific brands for each service, Build sub-brands within each of these services and Use Bharti as the mother brand providing the group its corporate identity as well as defining its goal to become a national builder of telecoms infrastructure.

Corporate Structure:
Airtel's initial corporate structure concentrated on the hierarchy of the operations inside the company as a whole. The structure depicted the corresponding operation/region of different in-charges and it didn't hold anyone responsible for each of its services. So, the company found it better to restructure its corporate hierarchy. The transformed organisational structure has two distinct Customer Business Units (CBU) with clear focus on B2C (Business to Customer) and B2B (Business to Business) segments. Bharti Airtel's B2C business unit will comprehensively service the retail consumers, homes and small offices, by combining the erstwhile business units - Mobile, Telemedia, Digital TV, and other emerging businesses (like M-commerce, M-health, Madvertising etc.). The B2C organization will consist of Consumer Business and Market Operations. The organization has changed the style of the company as the company does not have any brand logo till the time.

Bhartis View on its Branding strategy


First, brand building efforts in todays context have to be seen in a more holistic manner. Delivering value on a sustained basis is perhaps the most potent key to build a brand that lasts. Unflinching orientation to customer needs is the second key success factor. Customers (be it for industrial products or consumer goods and services) across the world are more informed and, at the same time, becoming more individualistic in their needs and far more demanding with the passage of time. Pro-active tracking of shifts in consumer behavior, anticipating redefined or emerging customer needs, and then reacting in real-time are essential to attract and retain customer loyalty a key element of creating brand equity in the present situation. Customizing the product (and communication of its benefit) to meet the specific needs
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of various consumer/customer sub-segments is the third element in creating brand appreciation. As far as allocation of time and financial resources are concerned, too many companies mistakenly allocate a disproportionate amount on mere advertising and promotion. This is not to say that advertising and promotion are less relevant. On the contrary, with more choices and higher media clutter, businesses need to budget for an increasingly higher spend on their brand promotion but this has to be undertaken in tandem with enterprise-wide reengineering of the business philosophy and core design, production, and delivery operations for the product itself. The positive spin to this argument is that by first addressing the fundamentals, the enterprise itself becomes more competitive. This can be the beginning of a virtuous cycle wherein brand equity continues to increase as the enterprise sustains delivery of an appropriate product or service at an ever increasing value. It is, however, crucial to note that in the years to come, not only will the cost of building a regional or a national (or an international) brand will continue to rise but also the time taken to do so will be longer and will need sustained and focused efforts.

Comparison of marketing strategies between Bharti Airtel and Vodafone


Purpose of comparison The sub main purpose of this report is to compare the marketing Strategies adopted by Bharti Airtel and its rival Vodafone The comparison shows how both of the companies have been challenging each other to gain market shares. Why comparison with Vodafone Bharti Airtel is the leader in telecommunication sector. Bharti Airtel holds the lion share of market of communication sector.
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However, Vodafone has been giving tough competition to Bharti Airtel. Vodafone is the second largest player and share holder in Communication sector. Since its launch Vodafone has been adopting aggressive marketing strategies. The comparison shows how Hutchison Essar Telecom. Captured 22% market share in one month of its first launch of postpaid subscription in 2002.AD. With a different technology Vodafone creates its own market. Vodafone odafone. Today deals in every business of communication sector. Vodafone making and changing the strategies to capture the market shares

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Brand positioning by Bharti Airtel


Market segmentation Geographical segment (metropolitans & cities India) Demographic segment - middle income groups People age group of 20 to 28 year Target marketing People who living in cities and towns. Poor or middle income group people. Youngsters in big cities. Businessmen

Positioning Creating brands (Sharukh khan & Sachin Tendulker) Ads and promotions Promotion for study of poor childrens.

Marketing mix
Price Place Product Promotion : : : low price strategy maximum outlets and service centers verities available for various groups : various schemes for pre-paid and post-paid

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Vodafone Company Profile


The Vodafone Speech Mark logo in use since 1997. Type Trade As : : Public Limited Company LSE: VOD NASDAQ: VOD Industry Predecessor Founded : : : Telecommunications Racal Telecom (1983 to 1991) 1991 London, United Kingdom (H.O.) Newbury, Berkshire, United Kingdom (Reg. Office) Area Served Key People : : Worldwide Gerard Kleisterlee (Chairman) Vittorio Colao (CEO) Products : Fixed Line and Mobile Telephony, Internet Service, Digital Television Revenue : 46.417 Billion (2012)

Headquarters :

Operating Income Profit

11.187 Billion (2012)

6.957 Billion (2012) 139.57 Billion (2012) 76.935 Billon (2012) 86,373 (2012) Vodafone Global Enterprise www.vodafone.com

Total Assets : Total Equity : Employees Division Website : : :

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History:
The evolution of 'Vodafone' brand started in 1982 with the establishment of 'Racal Strategic Radio Ltd' subsidiary of Racal Electronics plc UK's largest maker of military radio technology. By initiative of Jan Steinbeck Racal Strategic Radio Ltd formed a joint venture with Millicom called 'Racal Vodafone', which would later evolve into the present day Vodafone. Products & Services: Products promoted by the Group include Vodafone live!, Vodafone Mobile Connect USB Modem, Vodafone Connect to Friends, Vodafone Euro traveler, Vodafone Freedom Packs, Vodafone at Home, Vodafone 710 and Amobee Media Systems. In October 2009, it launched Vodafone 360, a new internet service for the mobile, PC and Mac. This was discontinued in December 2011 after disappointing hardware sales. This was after The Director of Internet Services resigned in September 2010 tweeting "5 days before I leave Vodafone. Freedom beckons." In February 2010, Vodafone launched world's cheapest mobile phone known as Vodafone 150, will sell for below $15 (10) and is aimed at the developing world. It will initially be launched in India, Turkey and eight African countries including Lesotho, Kenya and Ghana. Mobile Money Transfer Service: In March 2007, Safaricom, which is part owned by Vodafone and the leading mobile communication provider in Kenya, launched a mobile payment solution developed by Vodafone. M-PESA is aimed at mobile customers who do not have a bank account, typically because they do not have access to a bank or their income is insufficient to justify a bank account. The M-PESA system allows customers to deposit and withdraw cash via local agents, and transfer money to other mobile phone users via SMS. By February 2008, the M-PESA money transfer system in Kenya had gained 1.6 million customers. By 2011 there were fourteen million M-Pesa accounts by which held 40 percent of the countrys savings. Following M-PESAs success in Kenya, Vodafone announced that it was to extend the service to Afghanistan. The service here was launched on the Roshan network under the brand M-Paisa with a different focus to the Kenyan service. M-Paisa was targeted as a vehicle
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for microfinance institutions' (MFI) loan disbursements and repayments, alongside business to business applications such as salary disbursement. The Afghanistan launch was followed in April 2008 by the announcement of further a further launch of M-PESA in Tanzania, South Africa and India. In February 2012, Vodafone announced a worldwide partnership with Visa. To introduce a Vodafone Mobile Wallet, initially in Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Turkey and the UK. "The Vodafone mobile wallet represents the next stage of the smartphone revolution," says Vittorio Colao, Vodafone's group CEO. This will enable Vodafone subscribers to pay for goods and services using their mobile phones instead of coins and banknotes. mHealth Service: In November 2009, Vodafone announced the creation of a new business unit focused on the emerging mHealth market (the application of mobile communications and network technologies to healthcare). One of its early success stories is with the Novartis-led SMS for Life project in Tanzania, for which Vodafone developed and deployed a text-message based system that enables all of the countrys 4,600 public health facilities to report their levels of anti-malarial medications so that stock level data can be viewed centrally in real-time, enabling timely re-supply of stock. During the SMS for Life pilot, which covered 129 health facilities over six months, stock-outs dropped from 26% to 0.8%, saving thousands of lives. Vodafone has also been active in mHealth from a philanthropic perspective. The Vodafone Group Foundation is a founder member of the mHealth Alliance, supporting the adoption of mHealth through policy research and advocacy and the development of interoperable and sustainable mHealth solutions. Vodafone Foundation: The Vodafone Foundation is a recognised charity which supports and initiates projects which use mobile technology to benefit the vulnerable. It is described by Vodafone as Mobile for Good; using mobile technology to support good causes. They often work in collaboration with other charitable groups. Below are some examples of their initiatives: TECSOS mobile phones have been adapted to allow victims of domestic violence to activate immediate contact with the emergency services if they are in danger.
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Paediatric Epilepsy Remote Monitoring System a monitoring system that allows physicians to remotely make patient observations. Safe Taxi System an initiative in Portugal that consists of technology that taxi drivers can use to alert police if they are in danger of being assaulted. Learning with Vodafone Solution technology that allows teachers in India to use graphical and multi-media content to enhance their teaching.

MARKETING STRATEGIES OF VODAFONE


Vodafone target the Rural India The main targeted customers of Vodafone are from rural India. By offering cheap and light mobile sets Vodafone attracts most of the customers of small villages and towns. Offering cheap handsets Vodafone offers cheap and free connections to all customers. The cost for these sets was Rs-799-849-1099\set and onward. Free support and services In every district and big towns Vodafone opens its service centers to provide better support and services. Strong logistics and supply chain Vodafone has a strong logistic and supply all over India. In every small town the potential customers can easily purchase the Vodafone SIM & Sets. Targeting youngsters in metropolitans Vodafone attracts youngsters by offering colorful handset at very low prices.

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BRAND POSITIONING BY VODAFONE


Market segmentation Geographical segment (rural India) Demographic segment - middle income groups Target marketing People living in small towns and villages. Poor and middle income groups. Youngsters in big cities. Businessmen Positioning Creating brands Ads and promotions Marketing mix Price : low price strategy Place : maximum outlets and service centers Product : verities available for various groups Promotion: various schemes for pre-paid and post-paid

Services provided by Bharti Airtel Mobile services with GSM technology Fixed-line connections National and international long distance services VSAT, Internet services and network solutions
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Broadband services Services provided by Vodafone mobile services with GSM technology fixed-line telephone services Universal Internetworking VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Interactive Television Visual Communication Broadband Portal Telecommuting

SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths Being one of the largest companies in India the company has achieved a degree of focus in its core business of its products. It has a strong brand name, superior quality products and an enviable distribution network. It has a clear and well-defined organization structure and limits of financial authority. Increase in advertisement spends affect the companys margins. The companys bottom line falls victim to the bloated and highly paid workforce, which affects its margins. Weakness: Little efforts over the Advertising of products. Distribution channel is not accurately categorized. Premium priced products, hence cant compete in low price segment. No separate strategy for rural market. Opportunities: The company's financial performance can receive a major boost from its cost reduction efforts.
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There is a lot of scope of product and market diversification. Exports of products will also have huge chances in the coming years. Airtels business has ample scope for gaining market share from the unorganized sector. Rural penetration too holds vast potential to bring about growth. Threats: The slowdown in the economy has restricted topline growth of most FMCG majors and for Airtel also it will be difficult to maintain historical growth rates in such a depressed scenario. Companys major raw materials are influenced by government policies/ controls as well as vagaries of the monsoons. Fluctuations in the prices of raw materials would have significant impact on costs and margins of the company. Moreover, inordinate hike in Broad Band Internet products would also increases companys production and distribution cost.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

To identify the difference between market performance of Airtel industry and Vodafone. To study the market of Airtel Industry and Vodafone on big scale telecommunication sector. To compare various parameters of marketing strategies, manufacturing process, technology adopted production policy, advertising, collaboration, export scenario, future prospect for the two companies and government policies . To study customer buying behavior and factors which influence the purchase decision process. To know how the company has been successful in encountering the aggressive marketing strategies of competitors
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CHAPTER-III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Achieving accuracy in any research requires a deep study regarding the subject. The prime objective of the project is to compare Airtel with the existing competitor (Vodafone) in the market and the impact of WLL on Airtel. The research methodology adopted is basically based on primary data via which the most recent and accurate piece of first hand information could be collected. Secondary data has been used to support primary data wherever needed. TYPE OF RESEARCH METHODOLOGY EXPLORATORY: Type of research carried out was exploratory in nature; the objective of such research is to determine the approximate area where the drawback of the company lies and also to identify the course of action to solve it. For this purpose the information proved useful for giving right suggestion to the company. DATA COLLECTION METHOD There two type of method of data collection. Primary data Secondary data

Primary data was collected using the following techniques Questionnaire Method Direct Interview Method and Observation Method The main tool used was, the questionnaire method. Further direct interview method, where a face-to-face formal interview was taken. Lastly observation method has been continuous with the questionnaire method, as one continuously observes the surrounding environment he works in. Data used for the research work was primary in nature.

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Primary data: Primary data is that which is the collected for the fist time and thus happen to be originated in character. QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY: In the studies a questionnaire is prepared. The questionnaire consists of 15 questions. SECONDARY DATA: Secondary data refer to the data that has been already collected .the secondary data, which has been used to carry out this study, are as follow: Books, journals, magazines, newspapers Industry reports Companys internet site Few other relevant study material and websites. SAMPLE UNIT: - Lucknow. The research process was done by interacting with number of customers during the activities performed, which included, markets, cold calling, canopies, etc. Sample design consists of random sampling. SAMPLE SIZE: - 50 People

METHOD OF COLLECTION: Field procedure for gathering primary data included observation and interview schedule in which the questionnaires were filed by the interviewer. Personal interviews through self administered survey was done to collect the data, market research was undertaken, that was accomplished by performing various activities designed. RESEARCH INSTRUMENT: Questionnaire The Questionnaire Was Formulated By Keep In Mind The Following Points: Giving the respondents. Clear comprehension of the question.
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Inducing the respondents to co-operate. Giving instructions as to what is needed. Identifying the needs to be known.

Scope of the study To conduct this research the target population was the mobile users, Who are using GSM technology. Targeted geographic area of Lucknow . Sample size of 50 persons was taken. To these 50 people a questionnaire was given, the questionnaire was a combination of both open ended and closed ended questions. The date during which questionnaires were filled. Some dealers were also interviewed to know their prospective. Interviews with the managers of GSM service providers were also conducted. Finally the collected data and information was analyzed and compiled to arrive at the conclusion and recommendations given.

Sources of secondary data Used to obtain information on, Bhartis history, current issues, policies, procedures etc, wherever required. Internet Magazines Newspapers Journals Bharti Circulars Store Bharti News Letters

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Vodafone Store Vodafone Ministore

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Chapter-IV
Analysis and Interpretation of Data

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ANALYSIS & INTERPRETAION

1. Which network is best?

Answer Airtel Vodafone

No. of Response 30 20

Interpretaion:
Out of 50 repondents 30 says Airtel is best while 20 were says Vodafone.

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2. Why do you prefer Airtel Service?

Answer Connectivity Availability

No. of Response
26 24

Interpretation:
Out of 50 respondent 26 user say that is connectivity is good and 24 user say availability is good.

3. Which network provides you better connectivity?

Answer
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No. of Response

Airtel Vodafone

28 22

Interpretation:
Out of 50 respondent 28 says Airtel has better connectivity than Vodafone.

4. Which company has good scheme? Answer

No. of Response
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Airtel Vodafone

30 20

Interpretation:
Out of 50 respondent 30 respondents says that Airtel has good scheme than Vodafone.

5. Which companys service is more costaly? Answer Airtel


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No. of Respondents 14

Vodafone Both

12 24

Interpretation:
Out of 50 respondent 14 respondents says that Airtel is costly and 12 respondents says that Vodafone but 24 respondents says that both are costly.

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6. Which among these provide you better satisfaction after purchase? Answer Airtel Vodafone No. of Respondents 28 22

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Interpretation:
Out of 50 respondent 28 respondents say that Airtel provide better service after sale while only 22 respondent says Vodafone.

7. Which company provide you better 3G network? Answer Airtel Vodafone No. of Respondents 34 16

Interpretation
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Out of 50 respondents 34 people says Airtel provide better 3G while only 16 respondents says Vodafone.

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8. Which network has 4G service in India? Answer Airtel Vodafone Cant Say No of Respondent 30 8 12

Interpretation:
Out of 50 respondents 30 respondents say that Airtel has 4G service and 8 respondents say that Vodafone while 12 respondents do not aware of it.

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9. Which product is used good & effective promotional tool? Answer Airtel Vodafone No. of Respondents 28 22

Interpretation:
Out of 50 respondents 28 respondents say Airtel and 22 respondents say Vodafone.

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10. How would you rate the experience with this Brand? Answer Excellent Good Average Below Average No. of Respondents 14 13 8 5

Interpretation:
Out of 50 respondents, 20 says excellent, 13 says good and 5 respondents says below average.

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Chapter-V:
Findings, Conclusion and Suggestions

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SUGGESTIONS
Following are the few suggestions to AIRTEL for improving the market share and image of the products concerned. 1. PRODUCT *Modification must be brought about in AIRTEL, in terms of quality. Its demand should be increased. 2. PLACE * The brands must be made available easily in, PCO & general stores. 3. PROMOTION *Company must undertake extensive promotional activities like advertisements must be released in different Medias to create brand awareness. *Free samples should be distributed among the prospects. Sales promotion tools like gifts, contests and coupons must be given to retailers as well as customers and prospects. * Catalogues should be distributed among customers. 4. PRICE * Price should be as competitive as other company maintains * Distribution of new connection should be in reach of customer pocket

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LIMITATIONS

No project is without limitations and it becomes essential to figure out the various constraints that we underwent during the study. The following points in this direction would add to our total deliberations:1. During the study, on many occasions the respondent groups gave us a cold shoulder. 2. The respondents from whom primary data was gathered any times displayed complete ignorance about the complete branded range, which was being studied. 3. Lack of time is the basic limitation in the project. 4. Some retailers/whole sellers refuse to cooperate with the queries. 5. Some retailers/wholesalers gave biased or incomplete information regarding the study. 6. Money played a vital factor in the whole project duration. 7. Lack of proper information and experience due to short period of time. 8. Some retailers did not answer all the questions or do not have time to answer.

CONCLUSION

After analyzing the findings of the research, I can conclude that Airtel lagged behind its competitors as far as customer service and availability is concerned. The maximum no. of people who use the mobile is in the age group of 20 to 28. Cash cards are the most popular type of mobile connections, as they are consumer friendly and recharging the connection is not a problem. Maximum no. of people spends RS 500 on their connections. As Airtel is the only company having the maximum no of mobile connections so it must seriously look into the loop holes of the existing customer service department. As we know that now Airtel has already launched its product with logo Aisi azaadi aur
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kahan has already became popular in market. So we can say that in spite of so many competitors in the market Airtel is having a good position just because every time, it tries its best to understand the need of its important customers. From the comparison and deep analysis of every aspect of business of both the companies we can conclude that bharti Airtel has to more work in every field of communication business. It is the time not only to survive but to sustain in the market for a long time. For this Airtel has to work on its all marketing strategies, marketing, promotion, brand image.etc. Airtel has to take Vodafone. Very seriously and update its own strategies from time to time and when the need arises. With aggressive marketing strategies Airtel has to target rural India as 70% of population of India lives in these areas. The other segment may be costumers of all age groups.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

I have made following recommendation to the company after doing the summer training there:

The company should modify its credit policy as they only target the cash paying customers who are not easy to trace. The company should emphasis more on the quality of Pharmaceuticals Products it was mostly claimed by the exporters that their receipts from company doesnt matches with the samples quality shown before giving orders. The company should make its marketing strategy flexible enough in order to face competition. The company should keep an eye on the proper delivery of the goods to exporter on time, as it has been recommended by exporters to make the delivery on time. The company rate policy must be flexible enough to catch new customers because if company offers lower price to a new customer then he may continue buy the goods and can be permanent customer for the company. The company should offers such rate in the market so that it may able to catch a bigger market share and it should be able to compete with the local traders and commission agents while having a brand name. The company should take the opinion of exporters from time to time to know what problems they are facing from the companys side. And if any change they require in present supplying condition?

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

In this project report, while finalizing and for analyzing quality problem in details the following Books, Magazines/Journals and Web Sites have been referred. All the material detailed below provides effective help and a guiding layout while designing this text report. Books: Principles of Marketing Philip Kotler & Kevin keller edi. 12 Market Research D.D. Sharma Research Methodology C.R. Kothari Websites: www.Airtelworld.com www.google.com www.india.com www.Vodafone.in http://www.blonnet.com/2004/06/26/stories/2004062602180700.htm, 2004. com/companies/companies_r/Vodafone_infocom/20031104_stop-roaming.htm, 4 November 2003 Domain, Missed Call, at http://www.domainb Magazines: Airtel (2 July to 10 July 2004) Airtel India page of HT paper (Thursday 1December 2004) Cowards India (26 December to 4 Jan. 2004) Mumbai, June 25,

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QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear Sir/Madam, I Kunwar Amit Pratap Singh,student of MBA of Integral University, Lucknow. I am doing my project on Comparative analysis of marketing strategy of Airtel and Vodafone. Please give your precious time for filling these details. Name Age Address : _______________________________ : _______________________________ : _______________________________

Occupation: _______________________________ Q.1 which network is best? Airtel Vodafone Q.2 Why do you prefer Airtel Service ? Connectivity Availability Q. 3 among them, which Brand have good connectivity? Airtel Vodafone Q.4 How long you have been using this Product? 0-2 Years 2-5 Years 5-10 Years More than 10 years

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Q.5 Which company provide you good scheme? Airtel Vodafone Q.6 how would you rate the experience with Brand? Excellent Good Average Below Average

Airtel Vodafone

Q.7 Which company service is more costly? Airtel Vodafone Q.8 Which Company provide you better satisfaction after purchase? Airtel Vodafone

Q.9 Which of these marketing / sales schemes attracts you while purchasing any connection? Good Network Discount scheme Service package Any other

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Q.10 If you have to purchase a new connection or product in near future, which Brand will you go for and why? _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________

Q.11

Are you aware of various promotional activities being run by Airtel, if yes then how?

Are you satisfied with these promotional activities? Very Satisfied Satisfied Somewhat Not Satisfied satisfied

Customer Care By Ad Films By Camp 24 hrs call center services

Q.12 What are you suggestions for improving the product quality, service availability and parts availability? ___________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

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