Your telecom service provider of the future could look like this

Key Highlights

• Data usage per SIM per month has grown from 60 MB in Q3FY14 to 1,248 MB in Q1FY18.  
• Ambani said, "“Data is the new oil in India.”
• Some operators have forayed into home broadband, DTH, enterprise solutions, leasing of fiber network, operating data centers.

Envisaging the future of the telecom industry in India currently revolves around predicting the number of exits from the market and the next trend in tariff plans. Focus in this highly competitive sector is largely to drive data revenues through the roof. But what’s next after data?

“With the number of players now at more manageable levels, a new player now well-entrenched, and more assured growth opportunity in the form of data services, the industry is set to enter its next phase, one that looks more promising than the past few years, notwithstanding the pressures likely to be witnessed over the next 2-3 quarters,” said analysts of ICRA in a report dated October 30.

The launch of Reliance Jio services in September 2016 was probably the epitome of the underlying focus of telecom operators to now work on improving subscriber base. Jio’s ‘Welcome offer’ gave subscribers unlimited benefits for three whole months. And in order to sustain subscribers, competing operators also doled out similar plans.

ET Telecom said on October 29. Bharti Airtel has also taken to Payments banks to expand its portfolio. Vodafone and Airtel are also tying up services to offer GST solutions to entrepreneurs.

“However, lack of awareness of IoT uses, unfavourable device ecosystem, data security concerns and poor availability of talent pool are some of the inhibitors which have to be overcome for growth and development of IoT in India in the near term,” ICRA added.