It's a realty boom in telecom. Of more than 20 new applicants for telecom licenses, 8 are realty players.
DLF , Unitech , Parsvnath , Indiabulls , Ansal , Jaypee and Omaxe . That's not just a list of property developers. It's a run-down of potential telecom operators. The companies have applied for pan-India telecom licenses and claim to be in talks with international telecom operators looking to enter India. But why is there a realty rush in telecom? Experts say there's no real synergy between the two businesses but these companies are sitting on substantial cash reserves that they want to invest in a sector that's giving 30 to 40 % returns.
"Cash flows are robust and the sector has a lot of opportunity still since teledensity is still low" says Harit shah, analyst, Angel Broking.
Experts say that with 6 or 7 players in each circle it would be extremely difficult for new entrants to make money. New operators will have to spend over Rs 20,000 crore to set up a basic network. And the new subscriber additions are low-revenue customers. So, returns may not justify the investment. Besides, setting up a pan-India network could take two years. Still, all these players are keen to jump in
While all these realty companies say they are confident of the potential of the telecom sector, none of them has divulged details about their plans or partners. Considering that all big international telcos like Vodafone, Singtel, Maxis and Telecom Malaysia are already in India and AT&T has applied for an independent licence, the question is who are the other big international players on whom these new entrants are banking to set up a telecom business.
It's a realty boom in telecom. Of more than 20 new applicants for telecom licenses, 8 are realty players. 
