Page 26 - Sphere No.5 (Feb 2002)

phone has drastically altered the
lifestyles of the people of India, and
Hutchison has been a driving force
behind this change.
When the Group first entered the
newly liberalised Indian mobile
telephony market in 1995, the signs
were not particularly encouraging.
Growth in fixed line communication
was (and still is) fraught with difficul-
ties. Tele-density hovers at around
3.5% nationally, and owning a fixed-
line phone in India is something that
only wealthy people can take for
granted.
In 1995, pessimists felt that cellular
telephony would not gain mass accep-
tance. They could not have been fur-
ther off the mark. With its relatively
low infrastructure costs and ability to
reach isolated areas, mobile technolo-
gy has come as a life-changing oppor-
tunity. Rural residents no longer need
to travel to the district Post Office to
place a phone call, and city dwellers
can relax in the knowledge that they
have an alternative option to long
waiting periods for a land line.
India now boasts over 5.5 million
cellular subscribers, and the market
has grown by more than 80% in the
past year alone. In this remarkable
environment, Hutchison, in partner-
ship with local companies, has estab-
lished itself as one of the leading
national operators.
THE RIGHT NUMBERS
With over 1 million customers (more
than 20% of the total cellular popula-
tion), the Group’s affiliates jointly
constitute one of the largest cellular
subscriber bases in India. Between
January and November 2001, the base
increased 70% against a 60% industry
growth rate. Furthermore, almost
three-quarters of the Group’s growth
has been organic.
Asim Ghosh, Managing Director
of Hutchison Max Telecom, believes
that the Company’s success is due to
its keen focus on the customer: “We
set out to create a business that is
consumer friendly,” Ghosh says.
“Recognising that many local users
are on tight budgets, we moved from
a customer-focused to a customer-
driven organisation, establishing a
‘low-cost-structure’ business model that
is very sensitive to consumer needs.”
In the process, Hutchison helped
revolutionise the concept of customer
service. In 1995, Integrated Voice
Response (IVR) systems did not
exist in India, and customers were
serviced through face-to-face or
postal interaction. “We began a
steady programme to introduce IVR
SPHERE
24
The mobile phone has entered all walks of life in India, serving as a valuable communications tool for both business and leisure.
T E L E C O M S
With its relatively low
infrastructure costs
and ability to reach
isolated areas, mobile
technology has come
as a life-changing
opportunity.
Wan2tlk
Want to talk?
8-)
Eyes wide with
surprise
>-^);>
Fish
NE1 IC
Anyone I see