Rank 19: BPL Mobile Communications : The 2.5G Nosedive

In fiscal 2001-02, the major highlight in BPL Mobile’s business was the

launch of GPRS services, which made it the first operator in the country to

offer 2.5G services. But the much-hyped service met with a very lukewarm

response, with the   PRS subscriber base standing roughly at 4,000.

This was much below the projected 10,000 by the end of the fiscal.

But on the other side, BPL had its network being used to connect online

lottery kiosks in the city. And the company is now in talks with banks for using

GPRS network to provide wireless connectivity to ATMs.

The total subscriber base for the company at the end of the fiscal 2001-02

was to the tune of 454,883, with a growth of 17.8 percent over 258,453 in

2000-01. Although the company maintained its edge over its competitors on the

subscriber acquisition front, it may be recalled that in FY 2000-01, BPL

recorded a growth of 49 percent in subscriber base.

BPL Mobile Communications TURNOVER FACTSHEET CEO : FB Cardosso Address : BPL Center, 127, Manmala Road Taikalwadi, Mahim (W), Mumbai 400 016 Tel  : 022-4323777 Fax : 022-4327492 Web site : www.bplmobile.com  S W O T Strength  : Technology leadership Weakness : Inability to grow Opportunity : Growing market, value-adds Threat  : Declining voice ARPU

Revenue growth nose-dived to 14.36 percent from 99 percent in the previous

fiscal to reach Rs 467.3 crore. This was primarily due to the decline in ARPU

and growth in low-end subscriber base. The slow pace of migration to post-paid

has also made a dent. With roaming traffic going up and market expansion with

the entry of fourth operator, BPL is hoping for a better growth in the current

fiscal.