|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Desi Trends....Articles of interest |
|
|
Bharti: India's powerhouse goes global |
|
 |
Just into its 12th year of operation, Bharti Airtel is a young
corporate. Perhaps, too young to be counted among India’s largest.
But the fact remains that it is the sixth largest corporate entity
in the country. The biggest private telecom company in the country
with thirty million plus customers, it surely has come a long way
ever since it launched its first mobile service in the capital city
of Delhi in 1995. But for a start up like us, it was by no means an easy beginning. With no previous experience in telecom, except as a manufacturer and supplier of push button telephones, many perceived our mobile foray to be an audacious move. Looking back, I must admit, it was truly a brave decision. As the pioneer in private telecom, the early years saw us take some real bold decisions. We decided to be an integrated player having footprints in both mobile and fixed line business. Not an easy decision, particularly when revenues were not big and investments were huge and, most importantly frontloaded. |
|
But despite the constraints we were ready to roll. And finally
Bharti became the first private company to enter basic telephony in
1998 when the sector was opened to private operators. The State of
Madhya Pradesh became our first fixed line circle. A mobile
operator’s entry into basic telephony made everyone take notice of
Bharti’s aspirations. But India was not the most attractive
telecom market in the 1990s. Growth was not very encouraging. It was
a turbulent period for telecom. Most business pundits were writing
obituaries for the industry. But Bharti remained undeterred. We
managed to hold on to its own during the period. I believe this was
a key moment in our journey towards success. |
|
|
While expanding for national play we saw a great opportunity to
restructure the traditional telecom business model. In early 2004
Bharti struck some remarkable outsourcing deals with global leaders
like Ericsson, Nokia and IBM. The new business model has not only
ensured growth but has gone on to set new global standards as well.
Many global telecom operators are preparing to adopt this new model
to deliver best in class service to their customers.
Airtel is among India’s most admired brands today. With a pan India presence, the brand stands for Swadeshi success! Deep-rooted Indian values and global best practices have defined Airtel’s journey to market leadership. I can say hand on heart that it is most inspiring, as it is humbling, to lead the most exciting telecom market. A market and a nation that the world has taken note of. |
 |
|
Indians in the US: Travel insurance protection |
|
Everyone who travels needs health/medical insurance to cover unforeseen risks. Mohan Babu explains why Indians are vulnerable international travellers and need the protection of travel insurance . focuses on the far-reaching consequences of the next president’s IT agenda This is the time of the year when students from all corners of India pack their bags for the long trek to the US. Every year thousands of Indian students sweat it out by working towards high scores in GMAT, GRE, TOEFL, etc, hoping to bag a coveted seat in a good school (as universities are called), in the US. After September 11, 2001, things have become especially challenging for young students aspiring to go to the US. The same holds true for visitors from India hoping to tour the US, visit relatives and friends too. Given the excruciating effort involved in acquiring a coveted visa to America, most people tend to overlook other important aspects of travel after getting a visa. Perhaps one really significant aspect of travel abroad, especially to the US, is also the one which is overlooked the most often—travel insurance. Another aspect of travel insurance is the “variety” of policies available in the globalized marketplace. Hundreds, if not thousands of companies provide insurance of different kinds, ranging from very basic “emergency” policies to those with extensive and in-depth coverage. The length of coverage, premium, deductible payable, number of people covered, area of coverage (local, country-wide or global) also may vary from one provider to another. There are also a number of specialized insurance vendors who have sophisticated interfaces on the Web, which allow visitors to view brochures, compare policies and even buy the policies directly using a credit card. My favorite is GaramChai.com’s travel insurance page: (http://www.Garamchai.com/TravelInsurance.htm). The site provides extensive listings of agents, many of whom also correspond over e-mail and have their websites. The site also has an “insurance comparison” tool that takes the user through a set of questions before suggesting suitable policies that can be bought directly using a credit card. The site also has extensive listings of Frequently Asked Questions on Travel Insurance |
|
For recently featured articles, visit GaramChai.com's articles Section |
| |
|
GaramChai® |
