Powerful nations talk barriers, India refreshing change: Sunil Mittal
, ET Bureau|
Updated: Oct 05, 2017, 02.19 PM IST
NEW DELHI: Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Mittal said that India was performing ‘extremely well’ compared to the global economic situation, and said that the issues of fall in GDP were not limited to the Indian market alone.
He added that industry and business leaders should create positivity, the way that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s was creating. “I think a leader's job is to create hope, and I think in our own individual capacities and larger capacities like the PM has for the nation, we need to always have positivity,” he said.
“My own view is world is going on, moving forward, there are issues around the globe, it’s not akin to India only. I personally believe that India on the world's stage is performing extremely well,” Mittal said on the sidelines of the India Economic Summit, when asked about his views on the fall in GDP to 5.7% was a one-off.
“As the world has lost its narrative on global leadership, there's an Indian leader in the form of PM Modi, who has emerged as a strong, powerful leader, who is driving not only driving the Indian new agenda but also the global agenda,” Mittal added.
The promoter of Bharti Airtel, India country’s largest carrier, also said that he was awaiting the actions of the government on the reports of the Telecom Commission which accepted the the inter-ministerial group (IMG) recommendations to increase period of deferred payments to 16 years from present 10 years, and reduced interest charge on penalties for late payments.
“We’re waiting for the IMG and Telecom Commission report (actions on them by the government),”he said. “Market has consolidated… Competition is reducing, only three players left,” he added when asked whether the reduction in interconnect usage charge (IUC) would lead to lower competition.
The doyen of the Indian telecom sector said that the No 1 carrier will invest $3 billion (nearly Rs 20,000 crore) in India this year in network capex, which will be higher than typical investments of $1.5 to 2 billion done over the past years, as the company develops its 4G networks.
Mittal added that companies like Bharti Airtel had already started experimenting in Massive Mimo, which allows network speeds to rise many times and consumer speeds to rise by nearly three times the present levels.
While underlining the support and vision from the top level of the government, Mittal flagged roadblocks of access to right of way and setting of towers, at the ground level.
“Vision and support of the govt is strong, but not percolating down to the state level, same level of urgency not visible, citing of towers and right of way rules are tasks that are urgently required,” he said.
He added that industry and business leaders should create positivity, the way that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s was creating. “I think a leader's job is to create hope, and I think in our own individual capacities and larger capacities like the PM has for the nation, we need to always have positivity,” he said.
“My own view is world is going on, moving forward, there are issues around the globe, it’s not akin to India only. I personally believe that India on the world's stage is performing extremely well,” Mittal said on the sidelines of the India Economic Summit, when asked about his views on the fall in GDP to 5.7% was a one-off.
“As the world has lost its narrative on global leadership, there's an Indian leader in the form of PM Modi, who has emerged as a strong, powerful leader, who is driving not only driving the Indian new agenda but also the global agenda,” Mittal added.
The promoter of Bharti Airtel, India country’s largest carrier, also said that he was awaiting the actions of the government on the reports of the Telecom Commission which accepted the the inter-ministerial group (IMG) recommendations to increase period of deferred payments to 16 years from present 10 years, and reduced interest charge on penalties for late payments.
“We’re waiting for the IMG and Telecom Commission report (actions on them by the government),”he said. “Market has consolidated… Competition is reducing, only three players left,” he added when asked whether the reduction in interconnect usage charge (IUC) would lead to lower competition.
The doyen of the Indian telecom sector said that the No 1 carrier will invest $3 billion (nearly Rs 20,000 crore) in India this year in network capex, which will be higher than typical investments of $1.5 to 2 billion done over the past years, as the company develops its 4G networks.
Mittal added that companies like Bharti Airtel had already started experimenting in Massive Mimo, which allows network speeds to rise many times and consumer speeds to rise by nearly three times the present levels.
While underlining the support and vision from the top level of the government, Mittal flagged roadblocks of access to right of way and setting of towers, at the ground level.
“Vision and support of the govt is strong, but not percolating down to the state level, same level of urgency not visible, citing of towers and right of way rules are tasks that are urgently required,” he said.
