TITLE OF THE PROJECT - STUDY ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOR OF GSM USERS IN TELECOM INDUSTRY

SUBMITTED BY

- PRAMOD M VERMA MMS-II, SEMESTER IV

PROJECT GUIDE

- NISHA MALHOTRA

YEAR OF SUBMISSION

- 2013-2014

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

DEFINITION OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOR:

Consumer behavior has been referred to as all the psychological, social and physical behavior of all potential consumers as they become aware of, evaluate, purchase, consume and tell others about products and services All the firms have started considering customer as the king or queen. Interestingly, after the liberalization of India economy, the market place is flooded with many new players including the host of MNCs resulting in then availability of more number of brands in every segment of the market. On account of this consumer has started being choosy about what to buy. Thus all firms are becoming not only customer focused but are also trying to build relationship with them. This is done by continuously updating knowledge, information, and understanding of the customer needs perceptions, and expectations.

CONCEPTS:
1) Having a better understanding of consumer behavior will help the firm to become better than their competitors. 2) On understanding consumer behavior firm will be able to predict the consumer perceptions and acceptance of their various informational and environmental cues and thus plan their marketing programs or strategies accordingly. 3) On understanding consumer behavior firm will be able to predict the consumer satisfaction level.

During the early 1980s, analog cellular telephone systems were experiencing rapid growth in Europe, particularly in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, but also in France and Germany. Each country developed its own system, which was incompatible with everyone else's in equipment and operation. This was an undesirable situation, because not only was the mobile equipment limited to operation within national boundaries, which in a unified Europe were increasingly unimportant, but there was also a very limited market for each type of equipment, so economies of scale and the subsequent savings could not be realized. The Europeans realized this early on, and in 1982 the Conference of European Posts and Telegraphs (CEPT) formed a study group called the Group Special Mobile (GSM) to study and develop a pan-European public land mobile system. The proposed system had to meet certain criteria:

GOOD SUBJECTIVE SPEECH QUALITY

Low terminal and service cost Support for international roaming Ability to support handheld terminals Support for range of new services and facilities Spectral efficiency ISDN compatibility

In 1989, GSM responsibility was transferred to the European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI), and phase I of the GSM specifications were published in 1990. Commercial service was started in mid-1991, and by 1993 there were 36 GSM networks in 22 countries . Although standardized in Europe, GSM is not only a European standard. Over 200 GSM networks (including DCS1800 and PCS1900) are operational in 110 countries around the world. In the beginning of 1994, there were 1.3 million subscribers worldwide, which had grown to more than 55 million by October 1997.

With North America making a delayed entry into the GSM field with a derivative of GSM called PCS1900, GSM systems exist on every continent, and the acronym GSM now aptly stands for Global System for Mobile communications. The developers of GSM chose an unproven (at the time) digital system, as opposed to the thenstandard analog cellular systems like AMPS in the United States and TACS in the United Kingdom. They had faith that advancements in compression algorithms and digital signal processors would allow the fulfillment of the original criteria and the continual improvement of the system in terms of quality and cost. The over 8000 pages of GSM recommendations try to allow flexibility and competitive innovation among suppliers, but provide enough standardization to guarantee proper interworking between the components of the system. This is done by providing functional and interface descriptions for each of the functional entities defined in the system. With the awareness spreading around the world on the Information and Communications Technology (ICT), in the later part of the 20th century countries, especially the developing ones, began to realize the importance of an efficient telecommunication network for the development of the economy. At the dawn of the 21st century, the developing countries started to make full use o f the technology revolution taking place around the world, with many countries liberalizing the existing stringent policies and regulations. To improve information and telecommunication technology, 189 countries of the UN met at the Fifty-Fifty General Assembly on September 2000. A millennium declaration was made, according to which the countries reaffirmed their commitment to improve the living conditions of poor and downtrodden in the world by adopting intense poverty program me. One of the targets of this declaration was adherent to In co-operation with the private sector make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communication.

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The GSM system is the most widely used cellular technology in use in the world today. It has been a particularly successful cellular phone technology for a variety of reasons including the ability to roam worldwide with the certainty of being able to be able to operate on GSM networks in exactly the same way - provided billing agreements are in place. The letters GSM originally stood for the words Group Special Mobile, but as it became clear this cellular technology was being used worldwide the meaning of GSM was changed to Global System for Mobile Communications. Since this cellular technology was first deployed in 1991, the use of GSM has grown steadily, and it is now the most widely cell phone system in the world. GSM reached the 1 billion subscriber point in February 2004, and is now well over the 3 billion subscriber mark and still steadily increasing.

GSM - SYSTEM OVERVIEW

The GSM system was designed as a second generation (2G) cellular phone technology. One of the basic aims was to provide a system that would enable greater capacity to be achieved than the previous first generation analogue systems. GSM achieved this by using a digital TDMA (time division multiple access approach). By adopting this technique more users could be accommodated within the available bandwidth. In addition to this, ciphering of the digitally encoded speech was adopted to retain privacy. Using the earlier analogue cellular technologies it was possible for anyone with a scanner receiver to listen to calls and a number of famous personalities had been "eavesdropped" with embarrassing consequences.

OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

To compare efficiency and quality of the service providers. To measure the market share of major service providers among student community. Transform in a time bound manner, the telecommunications sector to a greater competitive environment in both urban and rural areas providing equal opportunities and level playing field for all players. Strengthen research and development efforts in the country and provide an importance to build world-class manufacturing capabilities. Achieve efficiency and transparency in spectrum management. Protect defense and security interests of the country. Enable Indian telecom companies to become truly global players.

SCOPE OF STUDY
The mobile industry in India continues to grow at a rapid pace. India has about 159.7 million GSM-based mobile subscribers at the end of December 2007, according to figures released by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) . The subscriber base represents a significant increase on the 95.7 million GSM customers reported at the same time last year and shows healthy monthly growth. Bharti-Airtel consolidated its position as Indias largest GSM operator in October, adding over 2 million customers to break the 60 million mark. Number two GSM operator Vodafone Essar, which adopted the Vodafone brand in September, added over 1.5 million customers in October to take its total base to around 40 million. IDEA Cellular has licenses to operate in 11 circles With a customer base of over 17 million. BSNL is the next largest player in the Indian market with 12.74 million customers.

LITERATURE REVIEW
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
Customer satisfaction is defined as an "evaluation of the perceived discrepancy between prior expectations and the actual performance of the product". Satisfaction of customers with products and services of a company is considered as most important factor leading toward competitiveness and success. Customer satisfaction is actually how customer evaluates the ongoing performance. Customer satisfaction is customers reaction to the state of satisfaction, and customers judgment of satisfaction level. Customer satisfaction is very important in todays business world as according to Deng et al., (2009) the ability of a service provider to create high degree of satisfaction is crucial for product differentiation and developing strong relationship with customers.

Customer satisfaction makes the customers loyal to one telecommunication service provider. Previous researchers have found that satisfaction of the customers can help the brands to build long and profitable relationships with their customers.

Though it is costly to generate satisfied and loyal customers but that would prove profitable in a long run for a firm. Therefore a firm should concentrate on the improvement of service quality and charge appropriate fair price in order to satisfy their customers which would ultimately help the firm to retain its customers.

It is a common phenomenon that the services a brand offers and the price it charges actually determine the level of satisfaction among its customers, than any other measure. Customers involvement is also important as when buyer consider the product important and invests time to seek information then it ultimately enhances the satisfaction level.

This satisfaction may influence the concerned company by repurchase, purchase of more products, positive word of mouth and willingness of customer to pay more for the particular brand. Any business is likely to lose market share, customers and investors if it fails to satisfy customers as effectively and efficiently as its competitors is doing.

CUSTOMER SERVICES
Customer service is a system of activities that comprises customer support systems, complaint processing, speed of complaint processing, ease of reporting complaint and friendliness when reporting complaint. Customer services are the opportunities for telecom service providers that are added to mobile network other than voice services in which contents are either self produced by service provider or provided through strategic compliance with service provider.

The improved customer services are the focal point of the telecom service providers for social as well as for economic reasons. From a social point of view, services should be available to the customers on reasonable terms. As far as economic factor is concerned, services should satisfy the needs of the customers.

For developing satisfaction among customers, the telecom service providers need to be extra careful for the customer services they provide. Satisfaction of customer is determined by his evaluation of service provided by a brand. They start looking for other brands. It happens because either the customer service centers do not handle the complaints or the customers are not able to address them properly.

Sometimes, telecom service providers take considerably longer time to resolve the problems like network coverage or call quality, the customers do not wait for long and hence they lose satisfaction with that particular brand. Furthermore, the friendly attitude and courteous behavior of the service workers at service firms leaves a positive impression on the customer which lead towards customer satisfaction.

MOBILE INDUSTRY IN INDIA:

India's 21.59 million-line telephone network is the largest in Asia, 3rd largest among emerging economies (after China and Republic of Korea) and the 12th largest in the world. India's telecom network comprises of 27,753 telephone exchanges, with a total equipped capacity of 272.17 Lakh lines and 226.3 Lakh working telephones. The Long Distance Transmission Network has nearly 1,70,000 route kilometers of terrestrial Microwave Radio Relay & Co-axial cables and about 171,000 route kilometers of Optical Fiber Cables. Fully automatic International Subscriber Dialing (ISD) service is available to almost all the countries. The total number of stations connected to National Subscriber Dialing (NSD) is over 18,000 and this is increasing fast. Yet the present tele-density is very low at about 2.2 per hundred persons, offering a vast scope for growth. In the field of International communications, tremendous progress was made by the use of Satellite Communication and submarine links. It is therefore not surprising that India has one of the fastest growing telecommunication systems in the world with system size (total connections) growing at an average of more than 20 percent over the last 4 years. The voice and non-voice telecom services include data transmission, facsimile, mobile radio, radio paging, V-SAT and leased line services to cater to variety of needs, both residential and business. A dedicated Packet Switched Public Data Network (I-NET) with international access for computer communication services is also available. ISDN service has already been introduced in the major cities. Other services like Intelligent Network (IN), Frame Relay (FR) and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) for wide band multimedia applications will be introduced in the near future.

In the field of international communications, India's overseas service carrier Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (VSNL) has made tremendous progress by using extensive infrastructure of satellite earth stations, state-of-the-art digital gateways, Optical Fiber Multi Media submarine Cables and Multi Media Data Switches. Fully automatic international subscriber dialing (ISD) service is provided to almost all the countries in the world. In future, VSNL is positioning itself to provide

bandwidth on demand, Global Virtual Private Networks, ISDN, B-ISDN, VSATs, Mini-M and hand held Personal Communications. The telecommunications initiative in the country is led by Ministry of Communications through the Department of Telecommunication & Department Telecom Services and its undertakings for provision of basic telephone services, national and international long distance communications, manufacture of complete range of telecom equipment, research and development, and consultancy services. The Telecom Commission performs the Executive and Policy making functions. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India performs the functions of an independent regulatory body.

METHODOLOGY OF STUDY:
Data is collected from the primary and secondary sources. Primary Source: A well structured questionnaire is prepared to know the respondents opinion. Secondary Source: Different web sites, company reports, research companies reports (McKinsey, PWC, etc...).

SOURCES OF DATA:
Data, facts, figures, other relevant material of past and present and surveying are the basis for study and analysis. Without an analysis of factual data no specific inferences can be drawn on the questions under study. Inferences based on imagination or guesses cannot provide correct answer to research questions. The relevance adequacy and reliability of data determine the quality of the findings of a study. For the purpose of the present study, data from two sources has been collected, namely primary data and secondary data.

PRIMARY DATA:
Primary data is source from which the researcher collects the data. It is a firsthand data, which is used directly for the analysis purposes. Primary data always gives the researcher a fairer picture. In the present study primary data has been collected using questionnaires. For the purpose of collecting the same, 100 respondents have been randomly selected. Even the response of the respondents was taken into consideration. In this study, primary data plays a vital role for analysis, interpretation, conclusion and suggestions.

SECONDARY DATA:
Secondary data is data which is collected and compiled for other purposes. Secondary data also plays a key factor in providing more information which will influence the analysis. Few of the main sources of secondary data include newspapers, business journals, magazines, internet and company reports, etc.

POPULATION:
The aggregate of all the units pertaining to a study is called the population. Population is the largest group to be studied. Its the total collection of elements about which we wish to make inferences the populations for this research are the people residing in Mumbai City.

SAMPLE DESIGN:

The part of the population is known as sample. The process of drawing a sample from a large population is called sampling. The type of sample design used is Random Sampling. Random Sampling gives every unit of the population a known and probability of being selected. Since random sampling implies equal probability to every unit in the population, it is necessary that the selection of Bangalore city only.

SAMPLE PLAN SAMPLE SIZE:

The sample size for the survey is 100 respondents of which are various GSM Company Subscribers .

SAMPLE UNIT
One of the units into which an aggregate is divided or regarded as divided for the purpose of sampling, each unit being regarded as individual and indivisible when the selection is made. The definition of unit may be made on some natural basis for example households, persons, units of product, etc. Hence, in the study the sample unit is Respondents who are Prepaid GSM Subscribers.

TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES OF DATA COLLECTION:

The following sampling techniques have been implemented:

PERSONAL INTERVIEWS: Approaching people personally and interviewing directly. QUESTIONNAIRE:

Designing the questions, in such a way, that it covers various opinions, views about GSM subscribers at the present market conditions. The questionnaire consisted of various types of questions say Open-ended questionnaire, Close-ended or Dichotomous questions, and Multiplechoice questions.

FIELD WORK:
This project involved a field work where in the survey is conducted by having a personal interaction with 100 subscribers who are GSM subscribers. Personal interaction has been carried out and the information sought as was required in the questionnaire for the purpose of data processing and analyzing. The respondents have been directly contacted.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RESEARCH DESIGN:

The present study has been designed to collect the opinions and perspectives of the GSM subscribers. The data has been collected through questionnaires filled up by personal interviewing subscribers. The questionnaires have been made as concise as possible. Personal information has been collected in order to know their personal background. The questionnaire has been administered to the respondents directly so that any doubt regarding the questionnaire could be immediately clarified. The questionnaire consisted of various types of question namely multiple choices, close ended, open ended, and ranking etc, a copy of the questionnaire is enclosed in the annexure.

RESEARCH DESIGN:
The sampling design carried out is convenience sampling. The marketing research problem calls for the descriptive types of research. Descriptive studies are undertaken in many circumstances. When researcher is interested in knowing the characteristics of certain groups such as age, sex, income level, etc. or in case researcher is interested in knowing the proportion of people in a given population who have behaved in particular manner.

SAMPLE SELECTION:
A sample is known as the subunit of population which shares the similar features. The number of units in the sample is known as the sample size. In this study a sample size of 100. Here, in this context a sample refers to the subscribers of the major GSM service providers in and around Mumbai covered by the study. After the selection of sample, the sampling was done based on the convenient sampling method.

ANALYSIS:
The collected data has been coded and represented diagrammatically in the form of bar diagrams by calculating the respondents and percentage. Based on this suitable interpretations were made. Based on the responses obtained and gathered data suitable recommendations were given which can help the service providers in retaining their subscribers.

RESEARCH LIMITATION:
The responses given may be biased and depend upon the age and experience. Data collected cannot be asserted to be free from errors, as the sample size is small. In spite of taking all the necessary measures there is a chance in occurrence of minor errors due to the lack of experience on the part of researcher.
Sample size of the subscriber is limited. Many subscribers do not give the exact picture of their opinion. The time period for conducting the survey is inadequate as the sample size covers only Mumbai city. One subscriber may have more than one connection. The opinion of the subscriber depends on the geographical location of the subscriber this may include the network of the provider. Since its a prepaid service it may be temporarily be used. Since most of the subscribers are teenagers it fails to give a general view of other age groups.

CHAPTER II

GSM SERVICES:
Speech or voice calls are obviously the primary function for the GSM cellular system. To achieve this the speech is digitally encoded and later decoded using a vocoder. A variety of vocoders are available for use, being aimed at different scenarios. In addition to the voice services, GSM cellular technology supports a variety of other data services. Although their performance is nowhere near the level of those provided by 3G, they are nevertheless still important and useful. A variety of data services are supported with user data rates up to 9.6 kbps. Services including Group 3 facsimile, videotext and text can be supported. One service that has grown enormously is the short message service. Developed as part of the GSM specification, it has also been incorporated into other cellular technologies. It can be thought of as being similar to the paging service but is far more comprehensive allowing bidirectional messaging, store and forward delivery, and it also allows alphanumeric messages of a reasonable length. This service has become particularly popular, initially with the young as it provided a simple, low fixed cost.

GSM BASICS
The GSM cellular technology had a number of design aims when the development started:

It should offer good subjective speech quality It should have a low phone or terminal cost Terminals should be able to be handheld The system should support international roaming It should offer good spectral efficiency The system should offer ISDN compatibility

The resulting GSM cellular technology that was developed provided for all of these. The overall system definition for GSM describes not only the air interface but also the network or infrastructure technology. By adopting this approach it is possible to define the operation of the whole network to enable international roaming as well as enabling network elements from different manufacturers to operate alongside each other, although this last feature is not completely true, especially with older items. GSM cellular technology uses 200 kHz RF channels. These are time division multiplexed to enable up to eight users to access each carrier. In this way it is a TDMA / FDMA system. The base transceiver stations (BTS) are organized into small groups, controlled by a base station controller (BSC) which is typically co-located with one of the BTSs. The BSC with its associated BTSs is termed the base station subsystem (BSS). Further into the core network is the main switching area. This is known as the mobile switching centre (MSC). Associated with it is the location registers, namely the home location register (HLR) and the visitor location register (VLR) which track the location of mobiles and enable calls to be routed to them. Additionally there is the Authentication Centre (Auks), and the Equipment Identify Register (EIR) that are used in authenticating the mobile before it is allowed onto the network and for billing. The operations of these are explained in the following pages. Last but not least is the mobile itself. Often termed the ME or mobile equipment, this is the item that the end user sees. One important feature that was first implemented on GSM was the use of a Subscriber Identity Module. This card carried with it the users identity and other information to allow the user to upgrade a phone very easily, while retaining the same identity on the network. It was also used to store other information such as "phone book" and other items. This item alone has allowed people to change phones very easily, and this has fuelled the phone manufacturing industry and enabled new phones with additional features to be launched. This has allowed mobile operators to increase their average revenue per user (ARPU) by ensuring that users are able to access any new features that may be launched on the network requiring more sophisticated phones.

SUBSCRIBER IDENTITY MODULE:

One of the key features of GSM is the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), commonly known as a SIM card. The SIM is a detachable smart card containing the user's subscription information and phonebook. This allows the user to retain his or her information after switching handsets. Alternatively, the user can also change operators while retaining the handset simply by changing the SIM. Some operators will block this by allowing the phone to use only a single SIM, or only a SIM issued by them; this practice is known as SIM locking, and is illegal in some countries. In the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia, many operators lock the mobiles they sell. This is done because the price of the mobile phone is typically subsidized with revenue from subscriptions and operators want to try to avoid subsidizing competitor's mobiles. A subscriber can usually contact the provider to remove the lock for a fee, utilize private services to remove the lock, or make use of ample software and websites available on the Internet to unlock the handset themselves. While most web sites offer the unlocking for a fee, some do it for free. The locking applies to the handset, identified by its International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, not to the account (which is identified by the SIM card). It is always possible to switch to another (non-locked) handset if such other handset is available. Some providers will unlock the phone for free if the customer has held an account for a certain period. Third party unlocking services exist that are often quicker and lower cost than that of the operator. In most countries removing the lock is legal. Cingular and T-Mobile provide free unlock services to their customers after 3 months of subscription. In countries like India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Belgium, etc., all phones are sold unlocked. However, in Belgium, it is unlawful for operators there to offer any form of subsidy on the phone's price. This was also the case in Finland until April 1, 2006, when selling subsidized combinations of handsets and accounts became legal though operators have to unlock phone free of charge after a certain period (at most 24 months).

GSM SECURITY:
GSM was designed with a moderate level of security. The system was designed to authenticate the subscriber using shared-secret cryptography. Communications between the subscriber and the base station can be encrypted. The development of UMTS introduces an optional USIM, that uses a longer authentication key to give greater security, as well as mutually authenticating the network and the user - whereas GSM only authenticated the user to the network (and not vice versa). The security model therefore offers confidentiality and authentication, but limited authorization capabilities, and no non-repudiation. GSM uses several cryptographic algorithms for security. The A5/1 and A5/2 stream ciphers are used for ensuring over-the-air voice privacy. A5/1 was developed first and is a stronger algorithm used within Europe and the United States; A5/2 is weaker and used in other countries. A large security advantage of GSM over earlier systems is that the Key, the crypto variable stored on the SIM card that is the key to any GSM ciphering algorithm, is never sent over the air interface. Serious weaknesses have been found in both algorithms, and it is possible to break A5/2 in real-time in a cipher text-only attack. The system supports multiple algorithms so operators may replace that cipher with a strong.

GSM SUCCESS
Looking back on the way GSM developed, the way it was deployed and grew over the years, shows the GSM history is a story of success. GSM was used in many countries outside Europe. Deployment on this scale had not been anticipated and it resulted in its name change from Group Special Mobile to Global System for Mobile communications. The number of subscribers grew rapidly and by the beginning of 2004 the total number of GSM subscribers reached the 1 billion mark - a major milestone in the history of cellular telecommunications as well as for GSM itself. Attaining this figure was celebrated at the Cannes 3GSM conference held that year. Figures continued to rise, reaching and then well exceeded the 3 billion mark. In this way the history of GSM has shown it was a major success.

SUMMARY OF KEY DATES IN THE GSM HISTORY

Year

Key GSM History Dates & Milestones Milestone Group Special Mobile established by to develop the pan-European cellular mobile system standards Basic list of recommendations to be generated by the group was adopted.

1982

1985

1986

Field tests undertaken to prove which techniques should be adopted for the new system.

1987

TDMA approach adopted as the main access method for GSM. Frequency division is also used between channels, but time division each individual frequency channel.

Also in this year the Initial Memorandum of Understanding was signed by telecommunication operators from 12 member countries.

1988

GSM system validation undertaken.

1989

ETSI, European telecommunications Standards Institute takes on responsibility for managing the GSM standards.

1990

Phase 1 of the GSM specifications released.

1991

Commercial launch of the GSM service.

1993

Coverage of main roads GSM services start outside Europe.

1995 2004

Phase 2 of the GSM specifications released GSM subscriptions reach 1 billion. Announcement made at 3GSM in Cannes.

CHAPTER III
10 TOP TELECOM SERVICE PROVIDERS IN INDIA:

BHARTI AIRTEL:

Bharti Airtel retained its leading position among telecom service providers and posted a growth of five per cent to end 2009-10 fiscal with revenues of Rs 38,800 crore (Rs 388 billion). The company is structured into four strategic business units -- mobile, tele media, enterprise and digital TV. The company has with operations in 18 countries with a footprint covering 1.8 billion people. Sunil Bharti Mittal is the chairman and managing director of the company. In March 2010, Bharti Airtel bought the African operations of Kuwait-based Zain Telecom for $10.7 billion. Recently, it has joined a consortium of global telecom operators to announce the launch of the easy cable system -- the 10,000 km undersea cable connecting Africa to Europe.

BSNL:
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited saw a drop in its revenue for the second consecutive year to post Rs 30,240 crore (Rs 302.4 billion), a drop of 14 per cent, even though it retained the number two position among telecom players. BSNL offers both fixed line and mobile services with broadband connections. With over 71.68 million subscribers, BSNL currently is the largest wireline service provider in India. The company has reported around 6 crore (600 million) 2G connections and 9,73,378 3G connections since February 2010. All major towns and cities are covered through BSNL network. Gopal Das is the new chairman and managing director of BSNL.

VODAFONE ESSAR:

The Indian subsidiary of Vodafone Group, Vodafone Essar recorded 13.7 per cent growth to emerge as the third largest player with revenue of Rs 23,200 crore (Rs 232 billion). The company commenced operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison Telecom acquired the cellular license for Mumbai.

It has operations across the country with over 106.34 million customers. It is the world's leading international mobile communications group with approximately 347 million proportionate customers as on 30 June 2010 and has around 40 partner networks worldwide. Vittorio Colao is Vodafone chief executive, and Marten Pieters is managing director and CEO, Vodafone Essar.

RELIANCE COMMUNICATIONS:

Reliance ADA Group's flagship company, Reliance Communications reported a negative growth of 3.5 per cent with revenue of Rs 22,130 crore (Rs 221.3 billion). It is India's largest private sector information and communications company, with over 100 million subscribers. It has established a pan-India, high-capacity, integrated (wireless and wireline), convergent (voice, data and video) digital network, to offer services spanning the entire infocomm value chain. Anil D Ambani is the chairman of the company.

IDEA CELLULAR:

Idea Cellular is part of the Aditya Birla Group and has bagged fifth position with a revenue of Rs 11,390 crore (Rs 113.9 billion). It is a leading GSM mobile services operator in India with 67 million subscribers. Idea offers both prepaid and post paid services. It is a pan-India operator with services being made available in all parts of the country. Idea was the first cellular service provider to launch General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) in the country. Kumar Mangalam Birla is the chairman of the group.

TATA COMMUNICATIONS:

Tata Communications reported revenue of Rs 11,000 crore (Rs 110 billion). The company holds leadership position in emerging markets. Tata Communications leverages its advanced solutions capabilities and domain expertise across its global and pan-India network to deliver managed solutions to multi-national enterprises, service providers and Indian consumers. The Tata Global Network includes one of the most advanced and largest submarine cable networks, a Tier-1 IP network, with connectivity to more than 200 countries across 400 PoPs, and nearly 1 million square feet of data center and collocation space worldwide. Srinath Narasimhan is the managing director and CEO of Tata Communication Tata Teleservices spearheads the Tata Group's presence in the telecom sector. It has posted revenue of Rs 6,900 crore (Rs 69 billion). Established in 1996, Tata Teleservices, one of the 96 companies of Tata Group, has its network in 20 circles. It is the first company to launch CDMA mobile services in India. It launched mobile operations in January 2005 under the brand name Tata Indicom. It enjoys a pan-India presence through existing operations in all of India's 22 telecom circles. Tata Teleservices operates under five different brands -- Tata Indicom (CDMA services), Tata DOCOMO (GSM services), Virgin Mobile, Tata Walky (which is the brand for fixed wireless

phones), Tata Photon (the company's brand that provides a variety of options for wireless mobile broadband access) and T24. Tata Teleservices Ltd, along with Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Ltd, serves nearly 70 million customers in more than 450,000 towns and villages across the country.

AIRCEL:

Aircel recorded the highest growth of 37.2 per cent among operators in 2009-10. The company posted a revenue of Rs 4,700 crore (Rs 47 billion) to move to the number eight slot.It is a joint venture between Maxis Communications Berhad of Malaysia and Sindya Securities Investments Private Limited, whose current shareholders are the Reddy family of Apollo Hospitals Group of India. Aircel commenced operations in 1999 and became the leading mobile operator in Tamil Nadu. It emerged a market leader in Assam and in the North Eastern provinces within 18 months of operations. Today, the company has a foothold in 21 circles including Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Assam, North East, Orissa, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Kolkata, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, UP(West), UP(East), Maharashtra & Goa , Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. It has over 43 million customers in the country.

LOOP MOBILE:

BPL Mobile Communications, established in 1994, was the Indias first mobile network operator. It began its operations in 1995. However, BPL Mobile was renamed to Loop Mobile in March 2009, following the expiry of its brand-use agreement with the TPG Nambiar owned BPL Group. Having consistently met and exceeded TRAI benchmarks, Loop Mobile is now ISO 9001:2008 certified.. The Khaitan Holding Group took ownership control in 2005. Loop Mobile has completed over 16 years of service and today has over 3 million subscribers. Being the country's oldest telecom service provider, Loop Mobile is the first operator in the country to offer services like MMS, GPRS and Caller Ring Tunes. Other VAS include ReplyAll, Roaming on Prepaid, Intelligent network, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Multimedia Messaging Service(MMS), Missed Call Alert, Caller Ring Tune, Mobile Tracker, Doctor-on-Call, "1 paise per sec" prepaid plan, Karaoke Messaging among others.