One of India’s state-owned operators has sought professional advice in establishing a new business strategy for its broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum. MTNL has enlisted the consultancy services of PricewaterhouseCoopers, with one of the operator’s executives reportedly stating that either “a franchise model or revenue sharing” could be on the agenda.
According to the operator’s chief marketing director Kuldeep Singh, the BWA spectrum is capable of deploying both LTE and WiMAX, but this decision would rest with the franchisee. MTNL, which is present in the major metropolises of Mumbai and Delhi, received both its BWA and 3G spectrum in 2009.
While the firm has begun offering 3G services and attempted to sell them on a franchise basis, “procedural issues” have reportedly stalled this process. Due to losses in the last financial year in the face of increasingly strong private rivals such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone, the Indian government has recommended that MTNL merge with fellow state operator BSNL, but this advice has not yet been followed.
