Significant growth opportunities in India

Telenor Group now has the potential to reach every second person in India, after securing its license to operate in six telecom circles. These circles are among the most populous regions in the country. The footprint also has the lowest mobile penetration in India; estimated to around 40% at the end of 2012. This represents a significant growth opportunity in terms of acquiring new subscribers.

“We have secured our operations in areas where Uninor has really established itself as a strong challenger. We have taken market positions here that give us a solid platform for further growth. With the uncertainties connected to spectrum and licenses out of the way, we are now moving forward”, says Jon Fredrik Baksaas President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

”India remains a country of tremendous potential. By securing these core circles, we are well positioned to continue to win every day in the world’s most fiercely competitive mobile market,” he adds.

Engines of growth at the heart of Telenor’s Indian footprint

Telenor will now be operating in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarkhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat. Telenor’s footprint does not include large metros such as Mumbai or Delhi, but covers a number of smaller and mid-sized cities, as well as vast semi-urban and rural areas. Most of these states are densely populated, for example Uttar Pradesh is 2/3 the size of Norway, but has a larger population than Brazil (at 200 million).

There are 95 middleweight Indian cities in the states where Telenor is operational. Over the past decade, these mid-sized cities have grown by 37% on average, while five of them have seen triple-digit growth in the same period. In Telenor’s footprint circles, there are 26 cities with more than one million inhabitants and 50 cities with more than 500,000 people.

Telenor aims to boost connectivity

Accelerating the overall growth of these middleweight cities requires a friendly regulatory environment and stability in order to incentivize entrepreneurs and attract investors.

“Healthy competition in the telecom sector can help realize the promise of these vast and populous regions. With fresh spectrum secured, Telenor is now ramping up networks and distribution, in order to boost connectivity and contribute to the development of India,” says Jon Fredrik Baksaas.