Tata Tele lines up Rs 8000 cr capex

Having crossed the four million subscriber mark, Tata Teleservices (TTSL) is aggressively expanding its national backbone to add 22,000 kms of fibre. The company has also earmarked a capital expenditure of over Rs 8,000 crore to be spent within the next two years.

Vinayak Deshpande, president-operations, Tata Teleservices said the company has achieved an all India market share of 6.3 per cent. Within the CDMA space, the company commands a market share of 24 per cent, he said.

In April, TTSL had a 16 per cent share of net additions, third highest behind Bharti with 23 per cent and Reliance Infocomm with 22 per cent. The state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) enjoyed a market share of 15 per cent and Hutch 9 per cent in April 2005.

In fixed wireless phone (FWP) segment, TTSL has made headway in the new circles entered, upping its market share from 8 per cent in January 2005 to 28 per cent in April 2005. Reliance Infocomm's market share has dropped from 78 per cent in January 2005 to 55 per cent in April 2005.

Till March 2005, the company has already invested Rs 11,800 crore and its services are now available in 1,272 cities and towns across 20 telecom circles. The company is planning to expand its reach to 2,500 towns by March 2006 and eventually to 4,000 towns across the country.