Category: Non-fiction
Publisher: Penguin Random House India (forthcoming)
Telecom Wars: The Inception of Airtel, Idea, and Reliance Communications. The Power of a Billion Voices. The Battlefield of Indian Mobile Telephony.
In the 1980s, India faced a significant communication infrastructure challenge, with an 18-year waiting period for securing a phone line. The entry of entrepreneurs like Sunil Bharti Mittal in 1991, amidst growing consumer discontent and financial needs, marked a turning point. Despite skepticism, Bharti Airtel emerged as the most successful startup among the initial eight companies, outlasting competition and reshaping India’s telecommunications landscape.
The subsequent opening of the market attracted major players, including an unprecedented Rs 85,000 crore bid, leading to scandals and rule modifications. Private companies, such as Reliance, Tata, Essar, and Birla, united against the government-led service operator BSNL, resulting in the creation of TRAI and a change in licensing models. This paved the way for a race to bring mobile services to the masses, transforming mobile phones from luxury items to affordable devices, with significant reductions in handset and call prices. The private mobile service companies played a crucial role in reducing waiting times, fostering mobile adoption, and catapulting India into the world’s second-fastest growing mobile market after China.
The strategic and circumstantial differences between Airtel, Reliance, and Idea during this transformative period reflected in their approaches, successes, and challenges, showcasing the dynamic evolution of India’s telecommunications industry.
The author: Deepali Gupta