Tata Docomo eyes 6% usage growth in Andhra circle

The AP market, which has 66.2 mn GSM and CDMA subscribers, Tata Docomo currently has user base of 7.36 mn

Tata Docomo, a strategic joint venture initiative between Tata Teleservices and NTT Docomo of Japan, is expecting a month-on-month usage growth of at least 6% in the Andhra Pradesh circle “on the back of our newly-launched value-for-money tariff and Plus plans,” said S Ramakrishna, chief operating officer (AP).

Announcing the unified telecom brand’s new plans – Full Talktime Plus, Internet Plus, Unlimited Plus and Rate Plus for prepaid customers ranging from Rs 36 to Rs 666, and Rs 899 unlimited post-paid plan – for its GSM (global system for mobile communications) and CDMA (code division multiple access) customers in the state on Thursday, Ramakrishna said the idea was to ensure that their customers got more value than what the market was offering right now.

“We are representative of what the market is... to address different calling patterns,” he said.

In the Andhra Pradesh market, which has 66.2 million GSM and CDMA subscribers, Tata Docomo currently has a user base of 7.36 million. The company has over 4,700 GSM and 1,300 CDMA cell towers in the circle.

Stating that non-voice business, including value-added services and data, currently contributes anywhere between 15% and 20% to Tata Docomo’s revenues from the AP circle, Ramakrishna said this was 1-2% higher than the industry average.

The company had earmarked Rs 100 crore for creating infrastructure, customer acquisition and rolling out new plans in the circle during the current financial year, he said.