Expert View

April 30, 2005
TIEBU to focus on packaging innovative solutions

Geetanjali Wadhwa

NEW DELHI -- TATA Indicom Enterprise Business Unit (TIEBU) is a national, specialised, enterprise sales and marketing unit for the TATA group's telecom companies including, VSNL, TATA Teleservices Ltd., TATA Teleservices (Maharashtra) Ltd., TATA Internet Services Ltd. and TATA Net. It delivers cost-effective, integrated solutions, tailor-made to answer the most complex communication needs. The company recently launched the VoData card, a wireless network card that fits into standard type II PC card slot in notebook PCs, and provides an easy access to business applications such as the Internet, intranets, extranets as well as corporate LAN. Convergence*plus recently met Alok Sinha, general manager, enterprise solutions, TATA Teleservices Ltd., to discuss the company's strategy to market the VoData card. Excerpts from an interview:

Convergence Plus: How can enterprise customers design, build, host and operate their SMS applications using these solutions?

Alok Sinha: We provide SMS gateway-based solutions. This service enables a customer to get his application ported to a mobile phone, through SMS. As more companies are shifting to Web-based solutions, there is no need to redesign applications. We only need to take the company's URL and integrate the application. We have a list of partners. We will be launching a partner campaign shortly. Our list of partners can be introduced and customers can place orders.

CP: How can the SMS-enabled enterprises benefit from your solutions?

AS: Mobile phones can now be used to exchange business critical information quickly and safely. Users can access applications such as travel ticketing system, payroll, attendance-management system, bill alerts, etc., from a mobile phone, without the inconvenience of accessing through a PC or laptop. To ensure security, a unique ID and password are provided. The services are available throughout TATA Indicom's network. The HR applications also come under the SMS-enabled solution. An employee can get SMS alerts about his/her leave and salary details, while traveling. Customers can also get information about payment dues, balance details, etc.

Almost all our SMS solutions are applicable across all service providers. If you, as an enterprise, already have 500 handsets, which may or may not be TATA Indicom's, you can still subscribe to our SMS service. It is not necessary to be a TATA Indicom's subscriber to avail our 'corporate directory' service. That is what I mean by saying 'investment protection'. If a user subscribes to TATA Indicom's mobile services, he will not need to pay for additional WAP service charges, and will be offered an enhanced user experience.

CP: What are the salient features of the VoData Card? What sort of advantages will it provide to users?

AS: The VoData card is a wireless network card that fits into standard type-II PC Card slot in notebook PCs. This enables the users to make voice calls, high-speed data access and SMS without any network cable or mobile phone. It provides an easy access to business applications, such as the Internet, intranet and extranet, as well as corporate LAN. Using VoData, one can connect to the VPN, make calls and send SMS. Its biggest advantage is convenience, i.e., no cables are required to be fitted into the PC Card slot. It offers high-speed connectivity up to 153Kbps, provides easy integration with the MS Outlook address book, and consumes less power that increases the life of the laptop/PDA battery.

Though it is capable of voice, users are not likely to use it for voice. However, it integrates two-way SMS very well. We will soon introduce aggressive price plans. Currently, there are two price plans. In the first plan, the cost of the card is Rs. 14,995, and users can pay by a standard tariff plan. The second plan is 'pay as you go', which is priced at Rs. 4,995. Here, the users pay Rs. 1,500, and get a bundle of 30 hours along with it.

CP: Is the VoData card aimed only at CDMA users? If yes, how can GSM/GPRS users make its use?

AS: The VoData card is aimed at CDMA subscribers. There are equivalent products in GSM and GPRS as well, but the cost of the card will not justify the experiences of low throughput. Though the cost of the cards is similar in GSM and CDMA networks, they have not been successful in the GSM segment because the throughput does not justify the real thing.

CP: How do you see the enterprise segment evolving in India?

AS: We see enormous potential in the enterprise segment. We are aiming to achieve the number one slot in this space. In our organisation, everything is structured around this objective. We have clearly identified this as a position unclaimed today. As far as voice is concerned, it is 40 percent kind of environment for everybody. It will be slightly higher for us as we are going with the approach of universal device enterprise. We believe customers will start with a phone, and later use the same for data applications, SMS, etc.

CP: How do you see the Indian market vis-à-vis rest of the world?

AS: You do not have mobile-enabled applications in the market. Post-dotcom, enterprises have been skeptical about new technologies. It is now possible to carry an SMS query on the Web site. In the Maharashtra Board of Technical Education, through an application developed by our development partner, the candidates can get their results via SMS as and when the results are announced. PCs witnessed a fractional growth last year as well as this year, as compared to the growth of the mobile phone. Clearly, there is a potential for the enterprise segment to grow. Many organisations believe that with the price-point stabilising in this space, the value proposition offered to customers will make the big differentiator.

CP: How was TATA Indicom's performance in 2004? What strategies/goals do you have for 2005?

AS: We built up a very strong foundation in the enterprises solution segment during FY04-05. There is a huge amount of investment on resources. We need to certify that our solution design team is security-conscious on this element, and the best practices are put in place. TATA Teleservices started its enterprise division in April last year. We took around seven to eight months to come out with several of these offerings, and will introduce many more offerings in the near future. We want to come out with the largest basket of offerings in the market place, and will do whatever it takes to do that. That is the kind of target we want to achieve! This offering can be as simple as providing a cable on a Nokia phone, or as complex as data VPN or ATM connectivity solutions. We need to make sure that we can offer real value to each segment of the customer.

CP: What role do you see TATA Indicom playing in driving growth over the next two years?

AS: We see ourselves playing a very crucial role in providing innovative solutions. Our focus is going to be on packaging innovative solutions. We see ourselves moving the market dramatically by offering solutions such as machine-to-machine, telemetry, 4Wmobile, surveillance camera, automatic meter reading, etc. With everything falling in place, we see ourselves as a clear-cut leader in the business enterprise solution segment by the end of the next financial year.