Dear Members,
The Directors have pleasure in presenting the 16,h Annual Report
together with the audited financial statements of the Company for the
year ended March 31, 2011 and other accompanying reports, notes and
certificates.
Financial Results
The financial results of the Company''s operations during the year are
given below:
(Rs. in Crores)
Particulars 2010-11 2009-10
Telecom Revenue 2,248.74 2,069.10
Other Income 67.20 208.71
Profit on Sale of Long Term Investment 834.93 -
Total Income 3,150.87 2,277.81
Operation and Other Expenses 1,818.50 1,737.30
Provision for Contingencies 185.60 -
Earnings Before Interest,
Depreciation, 1,146.77 540.51
Tax and Amortisation (EBIDTA)
Finances Treasury Charges (Net) 346.16 317.62
Depreciation /Amortisation 750.70 520.89
Profit/(Loss) before tax 49.91 (298.00)
Wealth tax 0.01 0.01
Profit /(Loss) after tax 49.90 (298.01)
The total income for the year was Rs.3,150.87 Crores which included the
profit on sale of the wholly owned subsidiary of Rs.834.93 Crores and
telecom revenue of Rs.2,248.74 Crores, which was higher by 8%. Other
income for the year was lower at Rs. 67.20 Crores as the scheme of
subsidy from Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the
Universal Service Obligations scheme ended on March 31, 2010. Operating
expenses increased by 5%, mainly due to costs associated with the
expanded rollout of GSM service besides operations of 3G services. The
increase in expenses would have been higher but for the reduced handset
subsidy and tighter control on expenses. The Company made a provision
for Contingencies of Rs.185.60 Crores towards the outstanding
claims/litigation. The Company reported EBIDTA of Rs.1,146.77 Crores
(including profit on sale of subsidiary Rs.834.93 Crores), as compared
to the previous year''s EBIDTA of Rs.540.51 Crores. The depreciation was
higher as it included an amount of Rs.184.81 Crores towards additional
depreciation after re-estimation of the balance useful lives of certain
items of plant and machinery. After taking into effect of the above,
the Company made a profit aftertaxfortheyearofRs.49.90Crores.
India has the second largest telecom network in the world after China.
As of April''2011, there were 861 million telephone connections in the
country of which 827 million were wireless connections. Approximately
15-20 million mobile connections are being added every month. The
national mobile tele-density is around 72 per hundred. The revenue
growth however, is not in proportion to the subscriber growth, as many
subscribers are having multiple SIMs from different operators which
isfacilitated by easy availability of the handsets supporting multiple
SIMs.
The Company launched many services over the years involving significant
investments and the new services like GSM and 3G are in the initial
phase of gestation period. It is not uncommon for telecommunication
service providers, due to high operation costs and inherently capital
intensive industry, to have longer gestation period. The accumulated
losses of the Company at the close of the year have exceeded its paid
up capital and reserves, however, the Company is consistently making
operating cash profits over the past few years.
The Company had availed of short term loans for payment of 3G licence
fee and roll out of 3G network. The Company has got its Business Plan
appraised by IDBI Bank Limited and is in the process of replacing the
short term loans with the new long term loans. In Ma/2011, the Company
has tied up for long term External Commercial Borrowings of USD 350
Million for refinancing of shortterm loans availed for 3G spectrum fees
and forcapex.
Products and Services
The Company holds two Unified Access (basic cellular) Service
Licences (UASL), one for Mumbai Metro and the other for Maharashtra
circle i.e. Rest of Maharashtra and Goa. The current subscriber base of
16.85 million consists of CDMA wireless subscribers, GSM wireless
subscribers and wireline subscribers.
During the year, the Company focused on increasing its retail presence
to achieve a better market penetration for its various products and
services. The highly successful launch of GSM services under Tata
DOCOMO brand has given a significant boost to subscriber additions. The
Company''s total subscriber base as on March 31,2011 stood at 16.85
million, an increase of 30% over the previous year. The Company''s
wireless subscriber base in Rest of Maharashtra circle crossed 10
million, and the Company now has the 3rt largest subscriber base in
this geography. The Company''s wireless subscriber base in Mumbai circle
crossed 5.9 million subscribers and the Company now has the 2'' largest
subscriber base in this geography. During the year, the Company
registered highest incremental wireless subscriber additions of 14.3%
and end of period market share of 16.7%.
CDMA & Wireline Services
The Company offers High Speed Internet Access (HSIA) service under
the Tata Photon Plus brand across Mumbai and major towns in Maharashtra
and Goa. During the year, the Company increased its focus on CDMA''s
inherent data capabilities. Five additional Towns in Rest of
Maharashtra circle, now have Photon plus wireless broadband services,
offering speeds upto 3.1 Mbps. Value Added Services (VAS) of Photon
TV and the new Photon Music that ride on photon access, are innovative
services for customers.
The Company continued to focus on value added service offerings. Data
and VAS revenues have now grown to account for 27% of the wireless
revenues. The Company introduced several attractive product and service
propositions such as Mobile TV, Music downloads and Personalised Caller
tunes. The Company was the first to launch a Wi-fi Router Hub on
Photon plus and also on a dual hub supporting Photon plus and 3G.
Tata Photon plus, HSIA has been awarded the coveted Product of the
year 2011 for best innovation under the category Wireless Mobile
Broadband Category. Earlier NDTV had rated Tata Photon as the Gadget of
the year 2010. It also received in June''2011, six outdoor advertising
awards.
As you know, the Company obtained 3G spectrum in Rest of Maharashtra
circle, where it was the first and fastest operator to launch 3G
services in record time with a range of new services like Video
Calling, Mobile TVand App Stores. The Company did not pursue its bid
for 3G spectrum in Mumbai due to what it considers to be unreasonably
high bids. The Company would however continue to address the market
requirements through Tata Photon plus which is strongly established as
a leader in high speed data access. HSIA has also been made available
on a growing range of mobile handsets. The Company is also
exploringtheoptionsfor3G roaming with other operators.
The Company has laid over 2,175 kms. of buried fibre across Mumbai and
already connects over 20,000 buildings with broadband services. To
expand the network further at optimal cost, the Company has entered
into co-build agreement with other operators. The Company would
continue to make investments to strengthen its Digital Mumbai offerings
and would increase voice and data penetration in already wired
buildings.
The Company is a Category A (National) ISP Licensee and offers a broad
range of Internet-related services including Digital Subscriber Lines
(DSL), leased lines and dial-up internet access. The Company, along
with Tata Teleservices Limited (-TTSL), has a national footprint for
its Tata Indicom conference call service, with 15 Points of Presence
across the country for providing local access to conference bridges.
The Company has also made significant investments in the Enterprise and
Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) business segment. It has further
expanded its wireline presence in Mumbai, Maharashtra & Goa and added a
range of Enterprise products and services to become a complete provider
of all enterprise needs. The Company continues to have significant
presence in the wireline segment.
Network quality and Customer service
As per the Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicators reports by
TRAI, the Company''s network is congestion free for last nine
consecutive quarters.
The Company continues to improve on the quality of its customer
services. Brand Tata DOCOMO offers easy and simple tariff plans, and
easy to navigate customer care IVR and direct access to the customer
care executives. The Company also scored a unique first, with the
introduction of a Performance Guarantee for CDMA, for high concern
areas of call drops, bill complaint resolution and wait time at the call
center.
GSM Services
Tata DOCOMO introduced many innovative Value Added Services to
customers, across Voice, Text & Data verticals. My song (Reverse
Callertune) was afirst and a unique proposition in telecom space from
Tata DOCOMO, which allows users to listen to their favourite songs when
they call others. Keeping the consumers in mind Tata DOCOMO also
introduced Jobs & Matrimony search on mobile which allows users to
search the perfect Job and the right match for themselves. The Pay for
what you use concept was extended to GPRS services i.e. pay per site
plans. Innovative packaging of Talktime and Data was also done.
During the year, Tata DOCOMO was the first to launch 3G services. We
now offer 3G services in 19 towns in Rest of Maharashtra circle. In 3G
Services, Tata DOCOMO offers high speed mobile broadband, Multimedia &
Video calling facility and other video based services like mobile TV,
video on demand etc.
Network Rollout
During the year, the Company successfully expanded GSM wireless
services under Tata DOCOMO brand to reach 898 towns in Maharashtra and
Goa. The Company has also entered into international bi-lateral
agreement with more than 140 operators across different countries to
offer seamless International roaming facility toTata DOCOMO subscribers.
The 3G rollout by the Company is one of the fastest by any standards
with integration of complex network elements.
The Company has also now spread CDMA voice and Photon Whiz services in
1,184 towns and provides HSIA service in Maharashtra and Goa.
During the year, the Company has focused on operational efficiency and
quality control measures with a constant endeavor to further improve
its network quality. The Company has also successfully unlocked the
bandwidth potential in its existing transmission network and offered
transmission bandwidth to the new operators.
Quality and Processes
The Company has undertaken ISO 9001:2008 certification to demonstrate
its capability to consistently provide services that enhance customer
satisfaction through effective deployment of a quality management
system. The Company was the first basic telecommunication provider to
get the coveted ISO 9001:2000 certification in August 2002. In the
recent Surveillance audit for ISO 9001:2008 Certification conducted by
TUV India in October 2010, the Company was awarded a Certificate of
Continuation for ISO 9001:2008 with ''Nil'' Non-Conformance.
The Company along with Tata Teleservices Limited has also recently been
awarded the ISO 27001:2005 Certification, for Information Security
Management System.
The Company is also taking active part in the Tata Business Excellence
Model (TBEM) process, with knowledge sharing and appropriate support
being extended by Tata Quality Management Services (TOMS), a division
of Tata Sons Limited.
The model enables the leadership to set direction of the organization
based on its Vision, Mission and Values and to strategize its business
priorities based on a variety of environmental factors like
competition, industry, technology and regulatory changes as well as
internal capabilities.
Human Resources
The Company assigns the highest degree of importance to its human
resources which are very critical for a service organization like ours.
The Human Resources (HR) function of the Company constantly strives
to achieve the mission of the Company by creating a favorable work
environment and by institutionalizing a performance oriented work
culture.
The Company has laid out strong processes to ensu re it attracts and
retains the right talent.
A rewards & recognition scheme for various awards is in place to
encourage employees perform better.
The Company promotes a culture of innovation and has provided various
forums (portals) for employees to post innovative ideas and
suggestions. The Company recently won the best innovative idea award
under the Tata Innovista program.
The Company strongly believes that coaching employees removes barriers
and boundaries and this culture emphasizes individual and team
achievement towards the common organizational goal.
Regulatory Developments and Important Litigation
There have been many regulatory changes, prominent amongst which are
implementation of Mobile Number Portability across India on January 20,
2011, auction of 3G spectrum, initiation of process to formulate a
comprehensive National Telecom Policy (NTP) 2011 and National
Frequency Allocation Plan 2011.
Detailed information on the regulatory developments and important
litigation has been provided in the report on Management Discussion &
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations which forms
part of this Annual Report.
Directors
Effective May 20, 2010, Dr. Mukund Rajan resigned from the position of
Director and Managing Director of the Company to take up responsibility
in another Tata company. Mr. Anil Kumar Sardana was appointed as
Managing Director of the Company with effect from May 20, 2010. Mr.
Anil Kumar Sardana resigned from the position of Managing Director of
the Company to take up responsibility in anotherTata company with
effectfrom close of business hours of January 31, 2011. Mr. Anil Kumar
Sardana continued as a Non-Executive director of the Company till May
19, 2011. The Board and the Company record its sincere appreciation of
the valuable services rendered and contribution by Dr. Mukund Rajan and
Mr. Anil Kumar Sardana especially for bringing in considerable
operational efficiency and advantages arising out of association with
and working in tandem with TTSL, this has resulted in improving cost
effectiveness by way of combined purchase negotiations, marketing
campaigns and brand building, regulatory affairs. The Board appointed
Mr. N. Srinath as the Additional Director and Managing Director of the
Company w.e.f. February 1, 2011. The resolutions for appointment of Mr.
N. Srinath as Director and Managing Director of the Company are
included in the Notice convening Annual General Meeting of the Company.
The Board recommends these resolutions fo ryour approval.
In accordance with the provisions of Article 71 and 72 of the Articles
of Association of the Company, Mr. Amal Ganguli, Mr. D. T. Joseph and
Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala retire by rotation at the ensuing Annual
General Meeting of the Company and, being eligible, offer themselves
for re-election. The Board of Directors recommends their re-election.
Subsidiary
The Company had a Wholly Owned Subsidiary i.e. 21 st Century Infra Tele
Limited (CITL) which was sold to Wireless - TT Info Services Limited
(now Viom Networks Limited), the passive infrastructure subsidiary of
TTSL, for net consideration of approximately Rs.956Crores in May''2010.
Dividends Appropriations
In view of the accumulated losses, the Directors regret their inability
to recommend any dividend for the year under consideration. No
appropriations are proposed to be made for the year under
consideration.
Cost Audit
Pursuant to the Order No. F. NO52/26/CAB-2010datedMay2,
2011 by Cost Audit Branch of Ministry of Corporate Affairs read with
Section 233B of the Companies Act, 1956 (''Act) and subject to the
approval of the Central Government, the Board of Directors of your
Company has appointed M/s. Sanjay Gupta & Associates, Cost Accountants,
as Cost Auditor of the Company fortheaccountingyear2011-12.
Internal Auditors
The Board has empanelled select firms for handling various internal
audits based on their experience effective April 1,2011.
Statutory Auditors
M/s. Deloitte Haskins & Sells (DHS), Chartered Accountants, the
present statutory auditors retire at this meeting and are eligible for
re-appointment. The Audit Committee and the Board recommend their
re-appointment.
Statutory Disclosures
Directors'' Responsibility Statement
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 217(2AA) of the Act, the
Directors, based on the representations received from the operating
management, confirm that:
1. In the preparation of the annual accounts, the applicable
accounting standards have been followed and there are no material
departures;
2. They have, in the selection of the accounting policies, consulted
the Statutory Auditors, and have applied them consistently and made
judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent so as to give a
true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company at the end of
the financial year and of the loss of the Company for the period;
3. They have taken proper and sufficient care, to the best of their
knowledge and ability, for the maintenance of adequate accounting
records in accordance with the provisions of the Act, for safeguarding
the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting fraud and
other irregularities;
They have prepared the annual accounts on a going concern basis.
Fixed Deposits
The Company has not accepted any deposits within the meaning of Section
58A of the Act, and the rules made there under.
Balance Sheet Abstract and General Business Profile
Information pursuant to Department of Company Affairs'' notification
dated May 15, 1995, relating to the Balance Sheet Abstract and General
Business Profile of the Company is given in the Annual
Report fo rinformation of the shareholders.
Conservation of Energy, Technology Absorption and Foreign Exchange
Earnings and Outgo
The disclosures as required under the Companies (Disclosure of
Particulars in the Report of the Board of Directors) Rules, 1988 are
given below:
(i) Energy Conservation:
a. Electricity is used for the working of the Company''s telephone
exchanges and other network infrastructure equipment. The Company
regularly reviews power consumption patterns across its network and
implements requisite improvements/ changes in the network or processes
in order to optimize power consumption and thereby achieve cost
savings.
b. Reduction of Diesel Generator (DG) running during power cuts
through DG on delay Management system.
c. Periodic energy audit and implementation of audit recommendations.
(ii) Technology Absorption: The Company has not imported any
technology. The Company has not yet established separate Research &
Development facilities.
Prticulars of Employees
The particulars of employees as required under Section 217(2A) of the
Act, read with the Companies (Particulars of Employees) Rules, 1975
forms part of this report. However, in pursuance of Section
219(1)(b)(iv) of the Act, this report is being sent to the shareholders
of the Company excluding the aforesaid information. Any Member
interested in obtaining a copy of such information may write to the
Company Secretary at the registered office of the Company.
Corporate Governance
A report on Corporate Governance appears after this report. A
certificate from M/s. Deloitte Haskins & Sells, Chartered Accountants
with regard to compliance with the corporate governance code by the
Company is annexed hereto as Annexure I and forms part of this report.
The Company has fully complied with all mandatory requirements
prescribed under Clause 49 of the listing agreements with the Bombay
Stock Exchange Limited (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange of India
Limited (NSE). The Company has also implemented some of the
non-mandatory provisions.
Corporate Sustainability
The contribution of the Tata group towards nation building has been
far-reaching. As is the ethos of large Tata conglomerate, the Company
too, has made small but significant contributions to this holistic
canopy of corporate sustainability.
The Company has always promoted the highest standards of corporate
ethics and compliance in dealing and conduct of its operations. The
Company is committed to pursuing initiatives relating to environmental
preservation, management of natural resources, community health,
education and empowerment of children.
In keeping with the Tata Climate Change policy, the Company seeks to
continuously find ways to reduce carbon footprint and leverage
telecommunications reach for initiatives aimed at the benefit of
society and the environment including sharing of tower infrastructure
resulting in substantial reductions in energy consumption, encouraging
use of audio and video conference instead of travel for reduction of
carbon dioxide emissions, mountain greening, introduction of highly
efficient power sources and air-conditioning equipment at its network
centers, encouraging customers to switch to an e-bill instead of
receiving printed bills, statements and receipts, encouraging employees
to re-use stationery, introduction of print manager to discourage
wasteful paper usage.
The Company generates awareness about various NGOs and their area of
work. The Company inserts ad campaigns of the NGO in the monthly bills
sent out to its customers. The initiative was launched to encourage
people from different walks of life to engage in acts of giving be it
in cash, time, skills or simple acts of kindness. Prior to the general
elections, the Company launched a campaign urging voters to cast their
votes after making an informed choice. The Company uses its wide
subscriber network to create awareness through alerts say hightide
timings during the monsoon via SMS alerts, and public services issues
like Swine Flu prevention.
Unemployed youth from under-privileged families in rural areas, across
various districts of Maharashtra, are chosen to undergo training to
become electrical and telecom wiremen in a training program designed
and supported by the Company. The telecom wiremen''s training was
conducted by the Company''s engineers and managers. All the trainees
were thereafter referred to franchisees/contractors in Company''s areas
of operations, and the Company also helped them get suitable
jobs in their respective talukas.
The Company has in place a Safety Policy. The Safety Policy aims at
ensuring zero harm to employees and material within and outside the
office premises. The initiatives taken by the Company included:
Safety sessions for all employees;
Fire Mockdrill once in every 6 month;
Percolation of Safety Guidelines and Knowledge
Management on health and safety through mailers (Do''s & Don''ts during
emergency, Ergonomic, Road Safety, articles related to Health, Safety
during Fire, Flood and Earthquake etc.).
Acknowledgements
The Directors wish to place on record their sincere appreciation of the
assistance and support extended by the employees, customers, financial
institutions, banks, vendors, Government and others associated with the
activities of the Company.
For and on behalf of the Board of Directors
Mumbai, Kishor A. Chaukar
June 28,2011 Chairman
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