Tower Radiation Risks: Fact or Fiction?
Myths Over Cell Tower Risks
Ensuring Safety from Radiations: Mobile Towers and Handsets
Cell phones may not pose any threat to you as there is no evidence that mobiles cause adverse health effects, a Norwegian study has claimed.
NEW DELHI, SEPT 12: At least 25 Renewable Energy Service Companies (Rescos) have expressed interest in supplying energy to telecom tower companies.
After a long spell of scanty rains, northern India has received heavy rainfall which has disrupted rail and road connectivity across the State of Rajasthan
Successive power cuts on 30th and 31st of July pushed north and eastern parts of the country into total darkness
Indus Towers has partnered with Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF) to impart Certificate Program in Cell-site Maintenance (CPCM).
Indus Towers collaborates with Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC) for Science Express Biodiversity Special (SEBS)
Under Lighting a Billion Lives Program (LaBL)
Indus Towers’ sites turn Green in Mumbai on 14 March 2012
First Study Report on Electromagnetic
Radiation Measurement at New Delhi
Shows Compliance with ICNIRP
Standards
Indus Towers is one of the proud nominees - under the category of ‘The Green Mobile Award’
Indus Press Note
Press Note - Hotel Shangri-La
DNA Money
Deisel genset makers set to lose
top client Indus Tower
Economic Times
Tower Co. Indus signals $2-b
revenues by March
Financial Express
Indus to add 5,000 towers this fiscal
Hindu Business Line
Indus to add 25,000 new
towers in 5 years
The Hindu
Indus to add more mobile towers
BusinessWorld.in
Business of a Tall Order
India Today Magazine
India Today Article
Business Standard
Indus first in world to reach 1L towers
Times of India
Indus Towers world’s 1st to cross
1L-mark
The Financial Express
Indus Towers reaches record 1-lakh
mark
Tower Radiation Risks: Fact or Fiction?
Myths Over Cell Tower Risks
Ensuring Safety from Radiations: Mobile Towers and Handsets
Cell phones not a health hazard
Cell phones may not pose any threat to you as there is no evidence that mobiles cause adverse health effects, a Norwegian study has claimed.
The Norwegian Expert Committee found no evidence that the low-level fields around mobile phones and other transmitters increase the risk of cancer, impair male fertility or lead to other diseases.
The committee also found no evidence that cell phones can lead to adverse health effects, such as changes to the endocrine and immune systems.
The effect on slow-growing tumours has been studied in people who have used mobile phones for up to 20 years.
Only limited data exists for the other types of cancer in the head and neck area, as well as for leukaemia and lymphoma, but so far there is no evidence of an increased risk from mobile phone use, the report said.
“Research provides no evidence to support that interventions help, such as reducing the use of mobile phones or wireless networks,” said researcher Jan Alexander.
The committee assessed the health hazards from low-level electromagnetic fields generated by radio transmitters.
25 renewable energy firms bid for supplying power to tower firms
NEW DELHI, SEPT 12: At least 25 Renewable Energy Service Companies (Rescos) have expressed interest in supplying energy to telecom tower companies.
Tower companies, including Indus, Bharti Infratel, American Tower Corporation and Viom, had floated a joint proposal for the project. Under this project, the Rescos will set up renewable energy-based power plants near the telecom towers and sell power to the telecom company at a predetermined cost on a pay per use model.
The power generated by the Rescos will be off-grid. But additional power generated by them can also be sold to commercial users living in areas where the power plants are located. The Tower and Infrastructure Providers’ Association had floated the Request for Proposal inviting NGOs and private green power companies to generate and supply off-grid power to telecom towers in the country.
TRAI REGULATION
This comes in the wake of TRAI’s recent regulation directing all telecom service providers to ensure that part of the power that is used for the towers comes from renewable sources.
Under the new rules, at least 50 per cent of towers and 20 per cent of the urban towers are to be powered by hybrid energy sources (renewable and grid) by 2015. The move is aimed at reducing carbon emissions due to increased dependence on diesel.
However, the tower companies are not too happy with the regulations. According to them, the dictate from the regulator was unfair as they are being forced to adopt a particular technology.
“It is okay to tell us that we need to reduce carbon emissions but why tell us how to do it,” posed a Delhi-based tower firm.
Tower companies currently spent 20 per cent of their operational expense on buying diesel for powering tower sites.
“We ourselves want to reduce the cost on diesel but the Government should give us alternative power supply. Why should tower firms start generating energy?” posed another tower firm.
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In rain submerged Rajasthan, Indus Towers ensures mobile connectivity
After a long spell of scanty rains, northern India has received heavy rainfall which has disrupted rail and road connectivity across the State of Rajasthan. Heavy rains in multiple parts of Rajasthan have choked the infrastructure not only in small cities but also the state capital of Jaipur.
Heavy rains brought the entire city to a standstill submerging, roads, railways and colonies. The major impact was felt in the cities of Jaipur, Bhiwandi, Bikhawad, Sikar, Nagaur, Churu, Jodhpur, Banswara andDungarpur Districts.
Most of the services like malls, markets, restaurants, hospitals and schools came to a complete standstill, with the army being called in several locations to assist in relief operation. With key infrastructure being paralyzed in the state, mobile communication services continued to operate under heavy and torrential rains.
Mobile communication services have become an integral part of our lives and help maintain flow of information in critical periods of time. Realizing the need for continued communication support in the hour of crisis Indus Towers Limited, which is the country’s largest telecom tower operator worked 24x7 to ensure that the telecom Towers were running, so that mobile communication services continued as normal.
B.S. Shantharaju, CEO, Indus Towers said, “Under any situation of a natural calamity, like heavy rainfall and floods our focus is on ensuring continued mobile connectivity. With 3 out of every 5 calls being made through an Indus Tower, it is extremely critical during times of crisis to ensure that our Towers remain operational and available for continued communication support.”
Indus Towers mobilized nearly 200 ground personnel to ensure maintenance and running of towers. The technicians, in spite of heavy rains and blockage of road ensured continuous supply of diesel. Filling vehicles were deployed on multiple routes; diesel was arranged by technician from local farmers and a distance of up to 1 km was covered on foot to ensure supply of diesel so thatthe towers remained operational.
Since access across many towers and routes remained blocked Indus Towers personnel worked round the clock to ensure mobile communication services remained operational.
Mobile communication services enabled more than 600 million Indians to stay connected in the hour of crisis
Successive power cuts on 30th and 31st of July pushed north and eastern parts of the country into total darkness. Grid failure affected North and Eastern parts of India with major impact being felt in the states of, Delhi, Haryana, Kolkata, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Most of the services like traffic signals, hospitals, shops, malls and markets were pushed into complete darkness with total blackout ranging from duration of 8 to 18 hours. With half of the country experiencing power failure, mobile communication services continued to operate.
Mobile communication has become essential to our lives and a survival necessity. Especially in times of crisis, the need to stay connected gains paramount importance. In the hour of crisis when half of the country’s population was battling the power failure, an enormous amount of effort was put in by the Telecom tower companies to ensure infrastructure support for mobile communication services to continue as normal.
“The major challenge at hand was not only to maintain and run the towers, but also to ensure no further power disruption. With 3 out of every 5 calls in India being made through Indus towers it was critical for us to provide uninterrupted service”, B.S. Shantharaju, CEO, Indus Towers said.
Bimal Dayal, COO, Indus Towersfurther added “We had a complete state of blackout across over 30,000 towersin Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on July 30th. We were able to commence the contingency plan within 30 minutes of Grid failure. Not only were we able to mobilize ground resources for monitoring toweroperations but also ensured uninterrupted service and 100% power availability for all our towers. An additional expenditure of over 20% was undertaken to run the towers. The steps taken are in line with our commitment to transform lives by enabling communication. Our focus on operational efficiency and putting customers first helped us to build their confidence, even in times of crisis”.
Emergency measures put in place enabled Indus Towers and there was no impact on network operations post consecutive collapse of the Northern and eastern grid on 31stJuly.
Over 2500 personnel worked round the clock to ensure reduced impact of grid failure on mobile communication services which enabled more than 600 million Indians to stay connected even in the hour of crisis.
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Indus Towers:Empowering & Employing today’s Youth
Indus Towers has partnered with Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF) to impart Certificate Program in Cell-site Maintenance (CPCM).
The program will train over 1200 students every year who will be employed as technicians by the Telecom Infrastructure companies as well as Indus Towers
23 July 2012, Bangalore:Indus Towers Limited,World’s’ largest telecom tower company has contributed to enriching a billion lives through its various endeavors. It is estimated that 3 out of 5 mobile calls in India are serviced through Indus Towers. As a part of its commitment to India, Indus Towers has partnered with Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF) to impart aCertificate Program in Cell-site Maintenance (CPCM). This is a one-of-its kind initiative in the telecom infrastructure industry, led by Indus Towers.
CPCM is a 6 months program to train 12th pass students to become technicians. This comprises of a 4-month classroom training with advanced labs etc. and 2-month On the Job Training (OJT) with our Service partners.
B.S. Shantharaju, CEO, Indus Towers said “Our initiative to partner with NTTF to impart the certificate program comes from the core belief of Indus Towers ‘Putting India first’. We recognized that there was a need for trained OME technicians to support the growing telecom infrastructure industry. Students who obtain training under the program can be absorbed by any of the telecom tower companies. Hence this initiative aims at creating a skilled resource pool for the entire industry.”
The first batch was started in August 2011 across 4 centres –Bangalore (Karnataka), Jaipur (Rajasthan), Gannavaram (Andhra Pradesh) and Murbad (Maharashtra). In the first year, more than 1600 applicants between the age groups of 17- 24 have applied. After a thorough procedure of written tests followed by a personal interview 213 students participated in the program. Indus Towers ensured every student, after completion of training, has been offered job.
Sathish M, Bangalore said,“I am very happy to have participated in this prestigious course. Indus Towers and NTTF have provided me with not only an opportunity to receive world class training in cell site maintenance but also a great advantage to get an assured job close to my native place.”
Mr. N. Reguraj, Managing Director, NTTF said,“Since it is a new course, promoting it was not an easy task. Therefore, this involved creating awareness about the course in the target group, designing and executing a country-wide selection process, designing of the course content, setting up advanced labs and shelters at the training centers, and organizing the funding facility for the needy students. Indus Towers provided us with the requisite technical support, research and guidance to design the course and enable India wide execution.”
The intent of the program is to generate a regular stream of technicians trained as per our industry requirements. The performance of a technician has a significant impact on most of the key business metrics, for example uptime, stability and energy consumption to name a few.
The key aspects covered in the curriculum include fundamentals of electrical, electronic and mechanical equipment used in a cell site, basics of civil structures, spoken English and 2-wheeler driving.
The first batch would be completed by 1, October 2012, post which the qualifying students would be placed as technicians with its Service Partners.
Indus Towers joins hands with Science Express to create Youth Environment Ambassadors
Indus Towers collaborates with Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC) for Science Express – Biodiversity Special (SEBS)
New Delhi, June 07, 2012: Science Express – Biodiversity Special (SEBS) is a unique initiative undertaken by Dept. of Science & Technology and MoEF, Govt. of India in collaboration with Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre. The Project entails unique science exhibition on a 16 coach AC train, to generate widespread awareness on the biodiversity of the country among students and general public. After four successful tours the Science Express will travel over 18,000 km, covering 52 cities. Science Express- Biodiversity Special flagged off on 5 June 2012, will culminate in Gandhinagar on 22 December and will expose more than 20 lakh students in the next two years on the issue of environment and bio-diversity.
Indus Towers Limited, the world’s largest telecom tower company has partnered with Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre, Department of Science and Technology to support the Science Express – Biodiversity Special (SEBS) in order to educate people on various issues related to environment and radiation.
Indus has sponsored the Joy of Science Lab hosted in a coach of the SEBS, where students will perform experiments and activities to understand different concepts in environment, climate change, water and biodiversity. Exhibit panels are also put up in the coach, to educate masses on how mobile networks work and along with myths on radiation. The coach presents an interactive medium for students to understand various concepts on mobile technology.
BS Shantharaju, CEO, Indus Towers said, “As a part of our Green Initiatives we support all endeavors that help educate youth on various issues related to the Environment. We believe by supporting such a cause we are able to partner in this journey to create global environment ambassadors. The Science express for us represents the efforts that we have put forth towards sustainability and green practices."
Dilip Surkar, Executive Director, Vikram A Sarabhai Community Science Centre, said, “We have partnered in this noble cause and have been entrusted with the responsibility to manage The Science Express – Biodiversity Special (SEBS). We believe this is a great concept in educating masses on various issues related to biodiversity and environment and bridge the gap between classroom and practical exposure. We are grateful to our corporate partners like Indus Towers coming forth to support the JOS Lab aboard the Science Express. Specific Outreach Program is being conducted at local schools and institutions associated with the Ministry’s National Environment Awareness Program (NEAC) and National Green Corps (NGC). In addition to this informative take-away, material is being made available for wider distribution among visitors.”
Indus Towers through its various initiatives is poised to be the largest green energy deployment in the world for telecom infrastructure industry. Indus Towers today boasts of one of the largest portfolios of 'green sites' amongst all telecom companies in India.
Speaking of the company's Green Vision, BS Shantharaju, CEO, Indus Towers says, “One of Indus’ core Values is Environment. We are committed to our values framework and have already reduced usage of 62 million litres of diesel in the last 2 years and our endeavor will be to reduce it further every year. We will take this campaign to as many cities as possible and recreate the image of our country as a ‘Green Nation’. We, as a company, are dedicated to an eco friendly India’.
About Indus Towers
Indus Towers Limited is an independently managed company offering passive infrastructure services to all telecom operators. Indus is headquartered in the National Capital Region, New Delhi. Founded in 2007, Indus Towers Limited has been promoted under a joint venture among entities of Bharti Group (rendering telecom services in India under the brand name Airtel), Vodafone Group (rendering telecom services under the brand name Vodafone) and Aditya Birla Group (rendering telecom services under the brand name Idea), who created history by collaborating to share telecom infrastructure.
Indus has a presence in the 16 major telecom circles of India, and has recently achieved 220,000 tenancies, a first in the telecom tower industry globally. With 110,000 towers in 16 circles across the country, Indus has the widest coverage in India and is also the largest telecom tower company in the world.
Indus’ vision of “Transforming Lives by Enabling Communication” is setting a new paradigm for a networked economy, on a world leading scale, whereby there is inclusive and impactful growth for all.
Indus Towers joins hands with TERI to light Rural villages and homes through high efficiency Solar LED Lanterns
Under Lighting a Billion Lives Program (LaBL)
Kanpur, 11th May 2012:Indus Towers made an announcement today that the company would provide high efficiency Solar LED Lighting Systems, to rural areas.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Pankaj Mittal, Chief Human Resources Officer, Indus Towers said,“As a responsible corporate citizen, Indus Towers has always tried to strike a balance between the corporate gains and social upliftment. Our commitment to good governance, ethical conduct and social responsibility is core to our way of doing business, and is strongly aligned with our drive to create and increase value for all stakeholders. This initiative will help the villagers of the District of Kanpur –Dehat, Uttar Pradesh, by making their lives better and also teach them the power of alternate sources of energy. Indus Towers will continue to introduce similar innovative initiatives in future as well.”
Speaking of the company's Green Vision, BS Shantharaju, CEO, Indus Towers says, “One of Indus’ core Values is Environment. We are committed to our values framework and have already reduced usage of 62 million litres of diesel in the last 2 years and our endeavor will be to reduce it further every year. We will take this campaign to as many cities as possible and recreate the image of our country as a ‘Green Nation’. We, as a company, are dedicated to an eco- friendly India’.
“Over 1.4 billion people in the world lack access to electricity and 25% of them live in India. For these people, life comes to a standstill after dusk. Inadequate lighting is not only an impediment to progress and development opportunities, but also has a direct impact on the health, environment, and safety of people who are forced to light their homes with kerosene lamps, dung cakes, firewood, and crop residue after sunset. Solar lanterns rented through the LaBL charging stations provide bright clean and affordable light to the rural households, eliminating the hazards of kerosene smoke and providing proper lighting for children to study. Indus Towers’ commitment to the cause is laudable,”said Mr. Shafat Sultan Marazi, Strategic Advisor- LaBL
The 5 year partnership of Indus Towers and TERI would sponsor clean energy and rural entrepreneurship through the Lighting a Billion Lives Program (LaBL) to over 165,000 people across 660 villages in India. The first villages chosen for implementation under this partnership are in Kanpur Dehat district. TERI’s local partner organization supporting the program is Shramik Bharti, who will help in identification and selection of the villages and also provide ground support for long term sustainability of the initiative. LaBL is a unique and measurable sustainability initiative that effectively demonstrates how Public-Private-People (PPP) partnerships easily support clean energy schemes and initiatives, particularly in the area of rural development.
In the process, Indus Towers will help mitigate approx. 5,000 tonnes of CO2 per year and create over 660 green jobs. The LaBL campaign targets all communities across the world that lack access to modern and clean sources of lighting. Through this campaign, local entrepreneur-driven delivery channels are created for distribution and servicing of solar lanterns to rural communities. The campaign also provides excellent opportunity for public-private-people-partnership (P4) wherein the private sector can enhance the effectiveness of development schemes of the government, particularly in health, education and livelihoods sectors, by providing lighting through LaBL.
About: Lighting a Billion Lives (LaBL)
LaBL is a unique and measurable sustainability initiative that effectively demonstrates how public-private-people partnership easily supports developmental schemes and initiatives particularly in the area of rural energy access. LaBL is a TERI initiative that aims to enable energy-impoverished communities across the globe to access clean and reliable sources of lighting through solar technologies in an attempt to improving their quality of life. LaBL provides a flexible entrepreneurship based energy service model in which solar charging stations (SCS) are set up in energy poor villages.
About: Shramik Bharti
Shramik Bharti is a grassroot development organization working with rural and urban communities in Kanpur, Ramabai Nagar and Auraiya districts of Uttar Pradesh since 1986. We are working on safe motherhood, eye care, water & sanitation, sustainable agriculture, rainwater harvesting, renewable energy, micro-finance, micro-insurance, equine welfare etc.
About: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
From microbiology to global climate change, from smoke-filled rural kitchens to plush corporate boardrooms, from schoolchildren to heads of state—no sphere of human endeavor is unfamiliar to TERI. Headed by world-renowned economist and Head of the Nobel Prize winning UN Climate panel, Dr. R K Pachauri, TERI is best described as an independent, not-for-profit research institute focused on energy, environment, and sustainable development and devoted to efficient and sustainable use of natural resources.
A dynamic and flexible organisation established in 1974, all activities in TERI move from formulating local and national level strategies to suggesting global solutions to critical energy and environment-related issues. Headquartered in New Delhi, TERI has established regional offices in Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Guwahati and Muhteshwer in the Himalaya’s and International centers in Japan, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Washington DC, London and Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Indus Towers’ sites turn Green in Mumbai
Indus Towers’ commitment on reduction in Carbon Footprint and living the value of Environment through Green Initiatives – Ahmedabad, Gandhi Nagar, Patan, Palanpur,Chandigarh, Kolkata, and now Mumbai
Mumbai, March 14th 2012: Indus Towers Limited, the world’s largest telecom tower company rebranded Mumbai as a “Green City” under its national campaign – Indus Carbon Abatement Program. As a part of the company’s commitment towards environment and reduction in carbon footprint, ‘The Green City’ was conceptualized in early 2011. Indus Towers has so far converted over 6 cities across India as ‘Green’.
Indus Tower’s strategy is not only limited to usage of alternative energy to power its towers, but also to work on all other aspects like using green equipments to follow a process that puts less impact on the environment and using a business model that advocates greener ways to doing business. The Company's green roadmap starts with using 'green' telecom equipment to 'green' design of passive telecom sites, through enhanced site sharing and power generation through green sources.
Green City Concept: The initiative is to manage network operations by eliminating Diesel Genset running at the site by augmenting electricity supply / battery bank/other technology initiative (deployment of FCU, inverter and other technical solutions) without compromising on the network. Indus is committed towards reduction in diesel consumption and has taken proactive steps towards greening of telecom, starting from their Corporate color to corporate responsibility; Indus Towers has always been committed to its services in an environment-friendly manner.
Speaking of the company's Green Vision, BS Shantharaju, CEO, Indus Towers says, “One of Indus’ core Values is Environment. We are committed to our values framework and have already reduced usage of 62 million litres of diesel in the last 2 years and our endeavor will be to reduce it further every year. We will take this campaign to as many cities as possible and recreate the image of our country as a ‘Green Nation’. We, as a company, are dedicated to an eco friendly India’.
Bimal Dayal, COO, Indus Towers added, “The journey of clean energy has yet to cover the miles in the country. Indus Towers will continue to introduce similar innovative initiatives in future as well.”
The company is planning to deploy all possible solutions to power the telecom towers in the near future and plans to be the largest green energy deployment in the world for telecom infrastructure industry. Indus Towers today boasts of one of the largest portfolios of 'green sites' amongst all telecom companies in India.
About Indus Tower
Indus Towers Limited is an independently managed company offering passive infrastructure services to all telecom operators. Indus is headquartered in the National Capital Region, New Delhi. Founded in 2007, Indus Towers Limited has been promoted under a joint venture among entities of Bharti Group (rendering telecom services in India under the brand name Airtel), Vodafone Group (rendering telecom services under the brand name Vodafone) and Aditya Birla Group (rendering telecom services under the brand name Idea), who created history by collaborating to share telecom infrastructure.
Indus has a presence in the 16 major telecom circles of India, and has recently achieved 200,000 tenancies, a first in the telecom tower industry globally. With 110,000 towers in 16 circles across the country, Indus has widest coverage in India and is also the largest telecom tower company in the world.
Indus’ vision of “Transforming Lives by Enabling Communication” is setting a new paradigm for a networked economy, on a world leading scale,there is inclusive and impactful growth for all.
180 areas were studied across the capital to understand the extent of EMF emitting from the Mobile Towers, revealed that the Magnetic field readings were 100 times below International Safety guidelines. Download press release as pdf.
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Reflecting the intensity of competition and innovation across the mobile ecosystem, we saw a record 600 entries and an exceptionally high-quality field of contenders vying for this year’s Global Mobile Awards,” said Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. “It is a significant achievement to have made the shortlist, and our warmest congratulations go to all the nominees announced today. We look forward to the unveiling of the winners at the Mobile World Congress on Tuesday, 28th February 2012.
Indus Towers takes its global leadership position to a new high The only telecom tower company to achieve a portfolio of over 200,000 tenancies
New Delhi, January 31, 2011: Indus Towers, India’s leading telecom tower company today announced the achievement of a critical milestone in its business history by becoming the first tower company in the world to have achieved a portfolio of over 200,000 tenancies under its management within few years of starting its operations. Indus Towers, which has operations in 16 out of the 22 telecom circles, is a joint venture between three telecom majors namely Bharti Group, Idea Group (Aditya Birla Telecom ) and Vodafone-Essar Group . Vodafone Essar and Bharti Group each hold 42% stake in the company, and Idea Group has the remaining 16% stake.
Indus started with 73,800 tenancies and reached 200,000 tenancies in less than 33 months and has an average tenancy rate which is fast approaching 2.0x. Indus has exhibited a business edge over its competitors even in times of tough market conditions and intense competition. The key factors that helped Indus Towers achieve greater operational excellence and offer its customers the largest coverage in India are a keen emphasis on: Speed-to-Market strategy, establishing world class Tower Operating Centre (TOC), adoption of green technology and making cost efficiency a way of life.
Announcing this achievement, Mr. B.S. Shantharaju, Chief Executive Officer, Indus Towers said, “It gives me immense pleasure to announce the achievement of this business milestone which helps Indus Towers maintain its global leadership position as the only telecom tower company offering the largest coverage to telecom operators. Currently, there exists a huge opportunity for tower companies in servicing the needs of 3G and BWA along with addressing the needs of new operators who are going to deploy their networks. This effect would gradually transcend to smaller cities and rural areas.”
Mr. Shantharaju also added that “the company will continue to make substantial efforts to expand its reach and tenancies in rural areas as well as urban areas, thereby relentlessly marching towards its vision of Transforming Lives By Enabling Communication”.
About Indus Towers
Indus Towers is a JV between Vodafone Essar (42%), Bharti Group (42%) and Idea Group (Aditya Birla Telecom Limited (16%)) and is India’s leading telecom Tower Company. The company, which operates in 16 telecom circles across India, provides services to all telecom operators and other wireless service providers such as broadband service providers on non-discriminatory basis.
If you are an investor in generator manufacturers, now is a good time to rethink your strategy.
Indus Towers, India’s largest consumer of diesel generators and its largest telecom tower firm, is looking at replacing the thousands of diesel generators it runs with sparkling new solar panels.The company, jointly owned by mobile operators Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar and Idea Cellular, buys nearly 35% of all diesel generators made in India.
“The initial programme will cover 2,500 towers,” said BS Shantaraju, CEO of Indus Towers.Indus, formed three years ago, hosts 48% of all cell-phone antennas in the country. It also accounts for more than a third of the three lakh telecom towers in India.
In all, it consumes three million units of electricity a year, enough to power more than one million Indian homes and is the single-largest power consuming company in each of the 16 states where it has operations.
While most of the 1.1 lakh towers owned by Indus are powered by the grid, operators have to depend on diesel generators in rural and far-flung areas, such as mountains and jungles. There are around 20,000-30,000 diesel-fuelled telecom towers in the country, according to industry estimates.
Shantaraju says Indus has had mixed luck with trying alternate fuels. Among those that it has tried are hydrogen-powered fuel cells and liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG. “We are working on an alternative to seeking the commercial LPG from the market. Otherwise, we will end up buying all the LPG in the country,” the CEO said.
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India's leading telecom tower company, Indus Towers, will earn more than $ 2 billion in revenues by the end of this fiscal and add more than 5,000 towers every year for the next five years, a senior company executive said. "We are planning to add nearly 5,000 telecom towers every year in the next five years and we expect to be a $ 2 billion company in revenue terms this fiscal," Indus Towers' chief executive officer BS Shantharaju said on Monday.
Indus Towers is a joint venture company of Bhari Group, Idea Group and Vodafone Essar. Bharti Vodafone hold 42% stake each in the company, while Idea Cellular holds the remaining 16% stake.
The mobile tower firm turned profitable this year and is ready to come out with an initial public offering, even as executives declined to put a timeline to it. "We're ready but there is no urgency . The timing depends on my shareholders. However, we would like to achieve a higher teledensity ," Shantharaju said.
The world’s largest independent tower company, Indus Towers, on Monday said it would add a total of 5,000 towers to its base of over 1 lakh towers and clock a revenue of $2 billion this fiscal. Indus Towers, a 42:42:16, joint venture between Bharti Airtel, Vodafone-Essar and Idea Cellular boasts of over 2 lakh tenancies on its tower base of 1,10,000 towers. This translates into a tenancy ratio of about 1.85 per tower implying that its each tower supports 1.85 operators.
Sanjeev Aga, managing director of Idea Cellular, had last year said that Indus Towers planned to go public in the fiscal 2012.
However, B S Shantharaju, CEO Indus Towers, said that currently there were no plans to do so, though the company’s announcement on Monday was widely believed to be first part of its IPO preparations.
Telecom tower firm Indus Towers on Monday said it plans to add nearly 5,000 telecom towers every year for the next five years and expects to be a over $2-billion company in the current fiscal.
Vodafone Essar and Bharti Group hold 42 per cent stake each in the company and Idea Group has the remaining 16 per cent stake. The company, which has operations in 16 out of the 22 telecom circles, currently owns more than 1.1 lakh towers.
Indus Towers also said that it was the first telecom tower company in the world to have achieved a portfolio of over two lakh tenancies within a few years of starting its operations.
Nearly 84 per cent of the telecom towers are being used by the joint venture companies of Indus Tower and about 16 per cent by the new telecom service providers.
Indus has reached 2,00,000 tenancies in less than 33 months and has an average tenancy rate which is fast approaching 2.0. In comparison Viom, the tower company jointly owned by Tata Group and Quippo, has 38,000 towers with a tenancy rate of 2.2
Mr B.S. Shantharaju, Chief Executive Officer, Indus Towers said, “Currently, there exists a huge opportunity for tower companies in servicing the needs of 3G and BWA along with addressing the needs of new operators which are going to deploy their networks. This effect would gradually transcend to smaller cities and rural areas.”
Indus Towers, a joint venture between Bharti Group, Idea Cellular and Vodafone Essar, on Monday said it would add around 5,000 telecom towers every year in the next five years to boost mobile connectivity. The company owns more than 1.1-lakh towers and has operations in 16 out of the 22 telecom circles.
“We are planning to add nearly 5,000 telecom towers every year in the next five years and we expect to be a $2 billion company in revenue terms,” Indus Towers CEO B. S. Shantharaju told journalists here. Vodafone Essar and Bharti Group hold 42 per cent stake each in the company, while the remaining 16 per cent is being held by the Idea Group.
“We have exhibited a business edge over its competitors even in times of tough market conditions and intense competition. The cost comes on an average to Rs.23 lakh per tower for installing them,” Mr. Shantharaju said.
“Currently, nearly 84 per cent of the telecom towers are being used by the joint venture companies of Indus Towers and about 16 per cent by the new telecom service providers,” Mr. Shantharaju said.
Indus Towers, a joint venture between three top telecom companies— Airtel, Vodafone and Idea— today became the first company in the world to have over 100,000 towers under its management. Bharti Airtel and Vodafone, each hold 42 per cent stake in Indus Towers, while Idea Cellular holds 16 per cent.
“In a short span, Indus Towers has built a robust, scalable, asset centric operating model, which provides passive infrastructure services to all operators on a non- discriminatory basis with enhanced focus on energy efficiency,” said Akhil Gupta, chairman, Indus Towers. The company is increasing its portfolio by nearly 7,000 additional tower tenants every month and is working towards a tenancy ratio of two per site.
“Indus will also be opening a state-of-the-art 24x7 Tower Operating Center by July 2009, which will monitor, control and analyse all tower site related activities to provide a better network uptime to its customers,” a company statement said.
The company is also working with TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute, India) to explore the possibility of integration of energy efficiency measures as well as renewable energy-based supply side options in telecom shelters in India and remains strongly committed to the reduction of carbon emissions.
When Akhil Gupta, deputy group CEO and managing director of Bharti Enterprises, called Arun Sarin, then chairman of Vodafone, and suggested they share their mobile towers, Sarin was shocked. While independent tower companies do exist, hardly anywhere, Gupta says, “have three fierce competitors tied up in the back-end to essentially fight each other in the streets in the front-end.” In a sector as competitive as telecom, such a concept was pretty much unheard of. However, after hearing Gupta out, Vodafone saw the potential. Once a JV was formed between them, they called Idea Cellular, another operator with a wide presence, and in December 2007, Indus Towers was formed.
Indus was formed as an independent tower company to provide passive infrastructure services to all operators in the country on a non-discriminatory basis. The three companies merged their towers (over 70,000) in 16 circles in India, with Bharti and Vodafone owning a 42 per cent stake each, while Idea holds 16 per cent. The idea was to optimally utilise their resources and cut back on the investment required to set up towers, which takes up almost 60 per cent of a mobile company’s capital expenditure. It costs an average Rs 30 lakh to set up a tower.
“The idea emanated from the fundamental philosophy that companies should focus on their core competency,” says Gupta, who is also the chairman of Indus Towers. “The business was about engineering, and we thought that this domain knowledge was better outside, given the skill sets required.” Thanks to cut-throat competition between operators, the telecom industry grew in, what Gupta calls, an “unscientific manner”, with clusters of mobile towers coming up within a short radius.
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Indus Towers, a joint venture between three top telecom companies— Airtel, Vodafone and Idea— today became the first company in the world to have over 100,000 towers under its management. Bharti Airtel and Vodafone, each hold 42 per cent stake in Indus Towers, while Idea Cellular holds 16 per cent.
“In a short span, Indus Towers has built a robust, scalable, asset centric operating model, which provides passive infrastructure services to all operators on a non- discriminatory basis with enhanced focus on energy efficiency,” said Akhil Gupta, chairman, Indus Towers. The company is increasing its portfolio by nearly 7,000 additional tower tenants every month and is working towards a tenancy ratio of two per site.
“Indus will also be opening a state-of-the-art 24x7 Tower Operating Center by July 2009, which will monitor, control and analyse all tower site related activities to provide a better network uptime to its customers,” a company statement said.
The company is also working with TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute, India) to explore the possibility of integration of energy efficiency measures as well as renewable energy-based supply side options in telecom shelters in India and remains strongly committed to the reduction of carbon emissions.
Indus Towers, a joint venture between three top telecom companies — Airtel, Vodafone and Idea — on Sunday became the first company in the world to have over one lakh towers under its management. Bharti Airtel and Vodafone, each hold 42% stake in Indus Towers while Idea Cellular has 16%.
“In a short span, Indus Towers has built a robust, scalable, asset centric operating model, which provides passive infrastructure services to all operators on a non-discriminatory basis with enhanced focus on energy efficiency,” Indus Towers chairman Akhil Gupta said.
With the telecom industry infrastructure, especially for mobile services, growing at over 35% in the next two years, Indus Towers is expected to play a crucial role in taking the services across the nation and also in rural areas. It is increasing its portfolio by nearly 7,000 additional tower tenants every month and is working towards a tenancy ratio of two per site. “Indus will also be opening a state-of-the-art 24x7 Tower Operating Center by July 2009, which will monitor, control and analyse all tower site related activities to provide a better network uptime to its customers,” the statement said.
Indus Towers, an independent telecom tower company, has become the first ever in the world to have 1 lakh towers under its management. The company is a JV between Vodafone-Essar, Bharti Group and Idea Cellular. Vodafone Essar and Bharti Airtel each hold 42% stake in the company, and Idea Celluar has the remaining 16% stake. It operates in 16 telecom circles across India.
Commenting upon the development, Akhil Gupta, chairman-Indus Towers, and deputy CEO of Bharti Airtel said, “In a short span, Indus Towers has built a robust, scalable, asset-centric operating model, which provides passive infrastructure services to all operators on a non-discriminatory basis with enhanced focus on energy efficiency. Our large towers portfolio provides us excellent geographical coverage and increased speed to market. This makes us a partner of choice for all established and new telecom operators in India.”
Sharing passive infrastructure is a fast catching up trend across the globe, as it helps keep the operating as well as capital expenditures low, a dire need of telecom companies given the global financial meltdown. A recent report by global consultancy firm E&Y titled the ‘The Power of the Pipe’ has outlined passive infrastructure as one of the biggest needs of the hour in the short term even for matured markets, the US and Europe. The report argues that at this point of time it will become increasingly difficult for telecom companies to keep justifying to their stakeholders the huge amounts of capital injection which they need to perform on an annual basis. Hence, they need to look at opportunities to provide innovative services while keeping their costs down in this highly technological driven sector. It further adds that
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