Whalesbook
Toh hua yeh hai ki Minister sahab ne bola hai ki India ka telecom sector jo FY24-25 mein ₹3.72 lakh crore kama raha hai, uske hisaab se R&D mein bilkul bhi paisa nahi lag raha. Global players jaise Ericsson, Nokia toh apna 15% se lekar 25% revenue R&D pe kharch karte hain, lekin India mein yeh figure 1% se bhi kam hai! Government chahti hai ki hum log 'Bharat 6G Vision' ke through 2030 tak leaders ban jaayein, lekin apne log toh standards set karne ya patents banane mein peeche reh jayenge agar R&D nahi badhaya toh.
Abhi sabse bada current issue hai supply chain ka. Duniya mein jo conflicts chal rahe hain aur AI chips jaise components ki demand badh gayi hai, usse equipment ki prices aasman chhoo rahi hain. Nokia jaise bade suppliers bol rahe hain ki wireless gear aur network components mehange ho jayenge, kyunki memory chips ke rates badh gaye hain. Bharti Airtel ke CTO ne bhi confirm kiya hai ki memory modules ki shortage se equipment ka kharcha badh raha hai aur deployment slow ho raha hai. Upar se logistics mein bhi problem aa rahi hai, shipping mein der ho rahi hai, aur diesel restrictions bhi add-on costs hain.
Is complicated scenario mein operators alag-alag tarike se manage kar rahe hain. Bharti Airtel, jo ek bada player hai, uska market value lagbhag ₹10.56 trillion hai aur P/E ratio 30.55x se 36.93x ke beech mein hai. Unke CTO ne bhi cost pressure ki baat ki hai. Dusri taraf, Vodafone Idea (Vi) apna operational performance aur subscribers badhane pe focus kar raha hai. March mein unhone 1 lakh se zyada naye subscribers jode hain. CEO ne bola hai ki woh tariffs mein bahut zyada badhotri nahi karenge taaki customers na chhoot jaayein. Yeh strategy shayad unke bade debt aur government ki 49% holding ko dhyan mein rakhte hue hai.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) bhi R&D ko boost karne ke liye 'regulatory sandboxes' jaise cheezein laa rahi hai, jahan naye tech tests free mein kar sakte hain. Lekin Airtel aur Jio jaise bade players ko lagta hai ki current regulations kaafi hain aur alag sandbox ki zaroorat nahi. Indian telecom market 2034 tak USD 72.32 billion tak grow karne ka estimate hai, aur ARPU bhi badh raha hai. Lekin supply chain ke high costs aur network upgrades ki wajah se R&D ke liye funds kam pad sakte hain.
Toh seedhi baat yeh hai ki Indian telecom industry ek tough spot mein hai. Current operational needs aur badhti hui costs ki wajah se ambitious R&D karna mushkil ho raha hai. Jabki government 'Bharat 6G Vision' ki baat kar rahi hai, ground reality yeh hai ki equipment ke rates badh rahe hain. Agar companies immediate needs aur future tech investments ko balance nahi kar payi, toh woh global competitors se peeche reh jayengi.