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18. BPL Mobile Communications

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VoicenData Bureau
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Factsheet

CEO: Girish Rangan



Year of Start-up:1994


Area of Operation: Cellular telephony service


Address: BPL Centre, 127, Taikalwadi, Manmala Tank Road, Mahim (West), Mumbai-400 016


Tel: 022-4311777


Fax: 022-430 225



SWOT

STRENGTH
  • Largest mobile telephony network in the country

WEAKNESS

  • Competition in the pre-paid card market has made a dent in its profits.

OPPORTUNITY

  • Rapid market growth

THREAT

  • Rival Orange has enough financial pockets and technical expertise to pose a serious challenge to the company’s growth plans 

BPL Mobile Communications has netted turnover of Rs 408.06 crore during

2000-01 as compared to Rs 205 crore in the previous year, showing a growth rate

of 99 percent. The subscriber base increased by a healthy 49 percent to 2,58,453

from 1,73,017 for the corresponding period of the previous year.

Part of the Rs 4500 crore BPL Group, this cellular service provider in Mumbai

has an Intelligent network in place with advanced technologies like Enhanced

Frequency Reception and Synchronous Digital Hierarchy for congestion free

network. During last fiscal, the company has launched a number of promotional

schemes to keep its leadership position. In the pre-paid market, it fueled a

price war by launching its pre-paid card — mots at Rs 249. It has also

launched mobile long distance service, enabling the post-paid BPL Mobile

subscriber to get easy access prepaid STD and ISD facility on a mobile phone.

Another major highlight for the period was its tie-up with Citibank to offer

mobile banking. This enables its customers with Citibank credit card and

accounts to conduct financial transactions on the mobile phone using BPL mobile

network. This forms part of complete basket banking and credit card relates

products to be launched by the company in two phases. It plans to introduce

additional features to mobile banking portfolio like customized triggers.

Through this feature, subscribers will be able to specify parameters like

minimum account balance by visiting a web site. Alerts would be sent to the

subscribers on their mobile phones as a short message when the condition

specified is met. Using smart messaging technology, it also offers its

subscribers the facility to send and receive e-mails on their mobile phones.

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