Reliance Infocomm To Set Up 8,600 Wireless Pcos

[Arun 795]

The Asian Age

Mumbai, Oct. 13:

Reliance Infocomm will be setting up 8,600 wirless PCOs only for the rural areas in the current fiscal. According to a senior official of Anil Ambani’s ADAE group company’s Reliance Infocomm, the telecom major has renewed its focus in its rural wireless public call offices, or PCO, project.

The company plans to launch these PCOs in an exclusive format wherein the cost of setting up these PCOs will be partially borne between the company and the operator. Also, these PCOs will have a separate branding and positioning strategy with a new brand name.

These PCO operators would work on the basis of commission on sales and apart from performance-based incentives will also receive compensation for in-store displays and promos.

Branded PCO business is witnessing a gradual shift in focus of all telecom operators as they move towards the hinterland. Given the steep fall in call charges and tighter margins across the platforms the battle is now being fought with a strategy focus on increasing volumes while retaining the existing subscriber base. Infocomm is banking upon its huge rural penetration which it has achieved so far.

According to an internal audit of the rural marketing division of the company for the second quarter ended in September, Infocomm already covers as many as 4,000 cities and towns of which more than 3,700 are small towns or semi-urban settlements. In addition, the company’s distribution network now covers 1,20,000 villages across India which will play a crucial role in its rural wireless PCO project.

It is noteworthy that the branded rural PCO market is gradually heating up into a fierce battle for market shares between leading private telecom operators like Tata Teleservices, Bharti and Infocomm.

Tata Teleservices which operates its branded PCOs (over 3 lakhs across India) under the brand name Tata Indicom Smart PCOs has already made deep inroads in rural markets of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra while Bharti which launched its branded PCOs sometime back has yet to make a significant mark in the segment.

[abhay 0]

RELIANCE :-- always last to enter BUT always first to finish up cheers anil bhai

[ashoksoft 83]

haan yaar... anil bhai itne pco kholne ke baad ... hope u do not forget me

Cheers

Ashok