Rank 30: Escotel Mobile Communications : Reaching Out

It was another good year for Escotel Mobile Communications Ltd, which grew by

a robust 61.9 percent to record a total turnover of Rs 284 crore. During the

same period, the subscriber base grew by 63.1 percent to reach a total of 5 lakh

subscribers, making it the fourth largest mobile operator in the country, and

the only category ‘B’ operator to reach the half-a-million mark. While the

subscriber growth was less than the industry average, the revenue growth was

much higher than the industry average.

Revenue break-up estimates show that UP (W) continued to be the top circle

for Escotel, contributing about 42 percent of the total revenue. While Kerala

did contribute about 36.5 percent, Haryana’s share increased to 21.5 percent

of the company’s total revenue. In bidding for the fourth operator’s

license, the company managed to bag the lucrative Punjab circle, along with UP

(E), Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh, thus giving it almost the entire north

India, excepting Delhi.

Escotel Mobile Communications TURNOVER FACTSHEET CEO : Manoj Kohli Area of Operation : Cellular service Address : A-36 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Estate, Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 044 Tel  : 695 9364 Fax: : 695 9253 Web site : www.esctelmobile.com  S W O T Strength  : Strong distribution channel; understanding of rural markets Weakness : Smaller scale Opportunity : Leveraging its distribution channel for other services Threat  : Bigger operators

The company has quite successfully taken some of the SMS value-added services

to villages and towns. It’s targeting at circles with high rural income, and

focusing on a contiguous region. On the networking front, Escotel signed up a

deal with GAILTEL, the telecom venture of GAIL, where by the latter will provide

it with backbone. The Escotel network now reaches 3,000 villages and 77 towns.