Bharti Tele Sees Solutions As Major Driver

Integrated business solutions will be a major driver for Bharti Tele-Ventures growth, said Tina Uneken, senior director, strategic investment directorate, Singapore Telecommunications (Sing Tel).

Sing Tel is a major investor in Bharti Tele-Ventures. Uneken said, "In the near future, the solutions business will generate big revenues. Since Bharti has all possible communications solutions under one roof, it is now offering the corporate sector a unified solution."

The company has already bagged some major orders from the corporate sector but Uneken declined to part with their identities.

Uneken clarified that the company is not looking for further strategic tie-ups in India and if any new revenue stream is to be explored, then Bharti would be given the first rights of refusal. Pastel Ltd, which is an investment company of Sing Tel, owns 17.7 per cent in Bharti Tele-Ventures, prior to its public offering.

Sing Tel itself is one of the leading integrated communications service providers in the Asia Pacific region.

Bharti Tele-Ventures is embarking on a major expansion in the next few years and will be setting up cellular services in nine additional circles, four fixed line circles and national and international long distance services.

Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Rajan B Mittal, joint managing director, Bharti Tele-Ventures said, "We believe that Bharti is uniquely positioned to leverage the true market potential of the Indian telecom sector."

Mittal also clarified that the telecom business, world over, is essentially assessed on the basis of earnings before interest, depreciation, tax and amortisation, and not profits.

Bharti has incurred net losses on a consolidated basis and expect to continue to incur significant expenditures on account of capital and operational costs.

As of March 31, 2001, and September 30, 2001, Bharti Tele-Ventures' consolidated and accumulated losses were Rs 233 crore and Rs 225.4 crore, respectively.

The initial public offering of Bharti Tele-Ventures, which opened for bidding on January 28, would close on February 2.