#Idea follows #Airtel, slashes #4G rates ahead of #Reliance Jio launch

 

#Idea follows #Airtel, slashes #4G rates ahead of #Reliance Jio launch pic.twitter.com/Fx78TSnzfT

— Press Release Watch (@PrReleaseWatch) July 19, 2016

Telecom operator Idea Cellular has announced up to 67 per cent reduction in 4G and 3G mobile Internet rates to compete with rival Bharti Airtel and ward off threat from Reliance Jio.
 Commenting on the recent rate revision,  Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular, said, “While the price reduction in our sachet data packs was aimed at inducting more users into the world of internet; the reduction in rates of BIG Recharge packs now, is aimed at delivering significantly higher Value for Money to our regular internet users. Our consumer research studies have indicated a growing demand for affordable high volume internet packs which we are aiming to fulfil with the new offers.”
 

#ideacellular to spend Rs. 7,500 crores on expansion in FY16

For FY16, Idea Cellular’s capex guidance is Rs. 7,500 crores, significantly higher than earlier years’ annual capex spends. In this fiscal year, Idea plans to add 40,000 – 45,000 sites on 2G, 3G and 4G technology platforms, complete a cumulative roll out of 111,000 kms of Fibre, and add an incremental 175-200 million population to the Mobile Broadband (3G & 4G) Population Coverage.

@ideacellular will launche 4G LTE services in #Maharashtra & #Goa soon : Ambrish Jain, Deputy MD, Idea Cellular pic.twitter.com/keRocVAnIe

— Press Release Watch (@PrReleaseWatch) February 16, 2016

The 4G launch in Southern India is part of the capex guidance by Idea.The roll out of Idea’s 4G services will be financed through internal accruals. The company recorded an EBITDA of Rs. 5,739 crores in H1FY16, a growth of 27.6% over H1FY15 and cash profits of Rs. 5,085 crores, a robust growth of 32.5% over H1FY15.

Idea expands 4G offering to 7 circles

Idea Cellular today announced the launch of its high speed 4G LTE services across four more states in India (three Telecom Circles) – Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. With this launch, the company has expanded its 4G LTE service footprint to 7 telecom service areas, including the 4 telecom circles of South India, namely Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu & Chennai, which were launched on 23rd December 2015. Idea’s 4G LTE services will be available across 183 towns in these 7 telecom service areas by 31st January 2016.

Idea expands 4G offering to 7 circles pic.twitter.com/WJNGa4zvmO

— Press Release Watch (@PrReleaseWatch) January 14, 2016

Major towns to be covered with Idea’s 4G LTE services at launch include the cities of Indore, Bhopal and Raipur in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh (MPCG), Chandigarh, Firozpur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Moga and Pathankot in Punjab, and Ambala, Karnal, Hissar, Panipat, Rohtak and Sonipat in Haryana. Other major towns including Gwalior, Jabalpur, Jalandhar, Muktsar, Patiala, Sangrur, Charkhidadri and Pinjore will follow by 31st January 2016.

#Idea rolls out of 4G services in South India

India's third-biggest mobile phone operator, Idea Cellular has  launched  high speed 4G LTE services across all five states of South India - Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. In the first phase, Idea’s high speed 4G Network will be available across 75 Towns in Southern India.

#Idea rolls out of #4G in South #India pic.twitter.com/PKKMAVoMUo

— Press Release Watch (@PrReleaseWatch) December 24, 2015

Major towns to be covered with Idea’s 4G LTE services at launch are – Kochi, Hosur, Kadapa, Malapuram, Madurai, Mysore, Rajahmundry, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Tiruppur, Vijayawada and Vishakhapatnam, while Belgaum, Calicut, Cuddalore, Chitradurga, Guntur, Kakinada, Kancheepuram and Trichur will follow by 31st December 2015. Idea will rapidly expand 4G services in all Southern India metros and large towns including Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Mangalore and Coimbatore by March 2016.

Idea is also gearing to launch 4G LTE services by March 2016 in other key markets namely, Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra & Goa, Punjab, Haryana, North East and Orissa, in a phased manner. By June 2016, Idea’s 4G footprint will cover 750 cities across 10 telecom circles.

Idea Cellular currently holds 1800 MHz 4G spectrum in these 10 Telecom circles which cover 50% of telecom market but over 60% of Idea’s gross revenue. Additionally, Idea has recently signed an agreement with Videocon Telecommunications Limited for acquiring ‘Right to Use’ 1800 MHz spectrum under ‘Spectrum Trading Agreement’ in two of its key telecom leadership markets of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh (West). Post completion of this transaction, 4G services will be extended to 12 service areas, covering 75% of Idea’s revenue base in the country.

Announcing the launch of 4G services Mr. Himanshu Kapania, Managing Director, Idea Cellular said, “Worldwide, 4G technology is gaining widespread acceptance with global 4G subscriptions crossing 1 billion mark. The launch of Idea 4G LTE services will further expand Idea’s Wireless Broadband network and propel the brand to an even higher growth trajectory, consolidating its market position.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular said, “Idea is proactively working on creating an ecosystem which will enable India to transition to the exciting new digital world. Our wide range of attractive bundled 4G smartphone offers, rich digital content and consumer friendly plans will enable all customers to experience Idea’s latest world class 4G services.”

The company claims to have received over a million 4G services requests from existing customers on its Pre-book offer.

#Idea to increase data charges soon

India’s 3rd largest national mobile operator Idea Cellular is considering a hike in data charges as it seeks to improve its margins hit by competitive pricing according to news agencies.The company sources said there are plans to increase the price points for data in the next few weeks but the hike will vary from market to market and would depend on competition.

With over 165 million subscribers and traffic in excess of 2 billion minutes a day, Idea ranks among the Top 10 country operators in the world.Idea is listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.

#IdeaCellular posted 69 percent rise in Q2 profits

Idea Cellular has delivered excellent ‘Profit After Tax’ (PAT) at Rs. 7,794 million, nearly double the Q2FY14 PAT of Rs. 3,984 million.The standalone EBITDA of Rs. 22,394 million grew by 29.5% on YoY basis due to multiple drivers including scale benefit, better cost management and robust net subscriber addition, voice minutes and data volume growth. Idea improved its EBITDA margin by 2.2% during last one year to 29.6%. Including Indus dividend receipt of Rs. 1,026 million.
During this quarter, the company carried 162.5 billion minutes on its network, less pronounced seasonal quarterly decline of 1.7%, in comparison to 5.8% minutes decline in Q2 vs Q1FY14. In line with the emerging digital  connectivity demand, Mobile Data volume exploded to 39.4 billion MB on its 2G+3G platform @ 21.3% QoQ growth, reaffirming consumer preference for brand Idea.
While the Voice rate realization was under  pressure, but 22.5% quarterly jump in Mobile Data revenue, contributing 14.0% to service revenue, helped Idea improve ‘Average Realisation per Minute’ (ARPM) by 0.8paisa from 45.1p in Q1FY15 to 45.9p in Q2FY15. The ‘Value Added Service‘ (VAS) contribution has improved sharply to 21.1% of service revenue, a gain of 4.9% over last one year.
With 4.6 million net new customer additions in the quarter, now it is servicing 143.6 million EoP customer base and ‘Average Revenue Per User’ (ARPU) improved to Rs. 176 (Rs. 164 in Q2FY14) and MoU/Subscriber increased to 384 minutes (368 minutes in Q2FY14). The company continued its journey of strengthening its competitive market standing with VLR subscriber market share climbing to 17.8% (August 2014) and Revenue Market Share (RMS) in Q1FY15 @ 17.1%, an increase of 0.9% compared to Q1FY14. Idea managed to maintain the mobile data ‘Average Realisation per MB’ (ARMB) at 26.5paisa (vs 26.3p in Q1FY15). The explosive Mobile Data volume growth and steady ARMB has helped Mobile data quarterly revenue cross Rs. 10 billion mark. The Mobile Data consumer base has risen in this quarter by 3.1 million to 30.9 million. The blended data ARPU (2G+3G) has also improved to Rs. 119 and ‘Usage per data subscriber’ is now at 447 MB. The 3G (Voice+Data) customer grew steadily to 13.3 million but still represents only 9.3% of Ideas’ total subscriber base. In comparison, the 3G phone penetration among Idea subscribers is improving and over 17% of Idea users own high speed 3G devices.

#Idea Cellular's Q1 profit up by 57%

Idea Cellular  has reported a 57.2 percent jump in quarterly profit.Its consolidated first-quarter profit for FY15 was Rs.7.28 billion, up from  Rs.4.63 billion a year earlier. The company has reached 30% EBITDA margin this quarter. Continuing its upward trajectory, the company achieved 7.3% sequential quarterly revenue growth, on the back of 6.5% growth in Q4FY14. This quarter Idea delivered balanced growth with sequential quarterly voice  minutes expansion by 5.2% and ‘Average Realisation per Minute’ (ARPM) improvement of 3.3%.

During the quarter, the company carried 165.2 billion minutes on its network, registering 12.2% YoY growth and 32.5 billion Megabytes of Mobile Data on its 2G+3G platform, YoY growth of 136%, reaffirming strong consumer demand for brand Idea. The higher voice rate realization and jump in Data contribution to 11.5% of service revenue helped improve ‘Average Realisation per Minute’ (ARPM) by 1.5 paisa from 43.6p in 4FY14 to 45.1p in Q1FY15. The Value Added Services (VAS) contribution has improved sharply to 17.8% of overall service revenue.

The standalone EBITDA at Rs. 22,664 million grew faster by 14% on QoQ basis due to multiple drivers including scale benefit, better cost management and robust voice & data growth. The EBITDA margin has improved sequentially by 1.8% to 30%. Including Indus dividend receipt of Rs. 3,623 million, the company has delivered highest ever standalone ‘Profit After Tax’ (PAT) of Rs. 10,117 million, nearly double the previous quarter. Brand Idea continued its subscriber growth momentum with 3.2 million net new customer additions, now servicing 139 million quality base as ‘Average Revenue Per User’ (ARPU) improved to Rs. 181 (Rs. 173 in  Q4FY14) and MoU/Subscriber increased to 401 minute (397 minute in Q4FY14). The company continued its journey of strengthening its competitive market standing with VLR subscriber market share climbing to 17.7% (May 2014) and Revenue Market Share (RMS) @16.6% in Q4FY14, an increase of 0.9% compared to Q4FY13.

This quarter, Idea reversed the falling ‘Average Realisation per MB’ (ARMB) data rate trend by improvement of 1 paisa to 26.3p (vs 25.3p in Q4FY14). The explosive mobile data volume growth and ARMB improvement has helped company deliver 23.6% Mobile data revenue growth. The net Mobile data consumer base has risen in the quarter by 2.6 million to 27.9 million. The blended Data ARPU (2G+3G) also improved to Rs. 108 and Usage per Data subscriber is at 409 MB, among the highest in industry. Further, the company launched its 3G services in Punjab service area from May 29, 2014 extending Idea own ‘High Speed 3G Broadband’ Services presence to 11 service areas covering 72% of its subscriber base.

Mobile talent hunt for aspiring Film Directors by @ideacellular

Idea Cellular, India’s 3rd largest mobile operator, has announced ‘Raju Ban Gaya Director’, a unique mobile based contest on its flagship digital property – www.IdeaPopcornStreet.com – to hunt for talent for film making.

The talent hunt will give an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to aspiring film directors to intern with celebrated Bollywood Director, Imtiaz Ali. Aspiring movie directors from across the country can fulfil their dream to work with leading Bollywood directors and step into their shoes to experience the world of Indian cinema by just participating in the ‘short-movie making on mobile’ contest.
 

Pick up your phone, shoot a short film & stand a chance to work with Imtiaz Ali. Know more of #RajuBanGayaDirector: http://t.co/peRFRpT9XM
— Idea Cellular (@ideacellular) July 18, 2014

According to Mr. Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular, “Cinema is core to Entertainment in India and forms a key genre of brand engagement for Idea. Our flagship Bollywood destination, Idea Popcorn Street is designed keeping this insight in mind, and forms an unique and innovative platform which not only entertains users but also encourages them to showcase their creativity. ‘Raju Ban Gaya Director’ is India’s first mobile hunt for film makers, and I am confident that this will provide a stepping board for many aspiring directors to demonstrate their talent and become famous.”

Speaking about the talent hunt, Imtiaz Ali, said "Gone are the days of the legendary 'struggle'. For today's generation a great film is just a mobile phone away. And there are stories everywhere waiting to be captured, and opportunities waiting to be explored.”
Any mobile user in India can participate in ‘Raju Ban Gaya Director’ contest, by just creating an original concept movie of 1 to 3 minutes on the mobile phone and upload it on www.ideapopcornstreet.com. The Jury, comprising of experienced film makers, will shortlist the Top 30 films in the first Round, which will then be put up on the portal for public viewing and voting. Basis the number of votes, the Top 10 films will be selected and the makers of these films will then be asked to create another 5 minute duration film, based on a script given by the Jury, which will once again have to be shot using a mobile phone. The directors will be given two weeks to make this film and will be required to promote and popularise their movie using social media.

These Top 10 movies will also be showcased on www.ideapopcornstreet.com as India’s first mobile film festival. Of these, the Top 4 film makers will be selected who will then go through an interview with the Bollywood Director and his team. The final winner will then get to spend time with the Director, Imtiaz Ali, on the sets of his next venture and get an opportunity to intern with him.

Last date for submission of the film is 22nd July, 2014. More details on www.ideapopcornstreet.com

Lalit Naik to be the new MD of Aditya Birla Nuvo

Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd (ABNL) has appointed Lalit Naik as managing director with effect from 1 July, the company said on Thursday. Naik will replace Rakesh Jain whose term expires on 30 June. The appointment will be subject to shareholder approval. Naik currently heads the chemicals, fertilisers and insulator businesses of the Aditya Birla Group and is the deputy managing director of ABNL since January 2013.

Aditya Birla Nuvo is part of the Aditya Birla Group, a US$40 billion Indian multinational. The Group operates in 36 countries across the globe, is anchored by an extraordinary force of about 120,000 employees belonging to 42 nationalities and derives more than 50 per cent of its revenue from its overseas operations.

Dhanush at the "61st Idea Filmfare Awards 2013"

The 61st Idea Filmfare Awards 2013 (South) will be held at the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, (Nehru Indoor Stadium), Chennai on July 12, 2014. It will be an evening where the luminaries of Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada cinema come together to celebrate and honour the best in their fields.
The Filmfare Awards have always strived for a perfect balance of public opinion and critical appreciation. This year too our readers and movie buffs around the world have voted for their favourites across 10 categories in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films. The exclusive list of nominees will be chosen after carefully tabulating the data from the vote count. Subsequently, a specially-appointed jury will pick the winners from among the nominees, in each regional category.
Versatile actor and Filmfare Award winner, Dhanush, along with Mr. Tarun Rai, Chief Executive Officer, Worldwide Media and Mr. Rajat Mukarji, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Idea Cellular, lit the lamp at a press conference to announce the date and venue of the awards.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Tarun Rai said, “We are proud of our 60 years association with South Indian Cinema. And in these years the industry here has grown tremendously. From just a handful of films in the initial years we have over 607 films competing to get the, much sought after, Black Lady this year.”

.@dhanushkraja giving media bytes at the 61st Idea Filmfare Awards (South) Press Conference #ideafilmfareawards pic.twitter.com/kmLAzf0uyZ
— Filmfare (@filmfare) June 17, 2014

Extending their association with the popular  Filmfare  Awards for another glorious year, Mr. Rajat Mukarji said, “In the 6th year of our association, we will once again honour and recognize talent from diverse southern film industry. Idea is a champion brand in AP and Kerala and a strong challenger brand in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, with 25% of our subscribers coming from these markets. The Idea Filmfare Awards South gives us an unique opportunity to connect with our millions of consumers with innovative marketing and engagement programs.”

#IdeaCellular Raises Rs.3,000 Crores through QIP

Idea Cellular Limited, the 3rd largest Indian telecom wireless operator, announced the successful closure of its qualified institutions placement and has issued and allotted 22.39 crore equity shares of face value of Rs. 10 each (the “Equity Shares”) to qualified institutional buyers, at an issue price of Rs. 134 per Equity Share (including a premium of Rs. 124 per Equity Share), aggregating to approximately Rs.3,000 crores (the “Issue”).The Issue witnessed strong interest from both foreign and Indian investors.
The overall allocation to foreign investors is approximately 62% of the Issue and to domestic investors is approximately 38% of the Issue, resulting in diversified representation from a high quality global investor base.
DSP Merrill Lynch Limited, Citigroup Global Markets India Private Limited, Morgan Stanley India Company Private Limited and Standard Chartered Securities (India) Limited acted as Global Co-ordinators and Book Running Lead Managers, and Axis Capital Limited acted as Book Running Lead Manager to the Issue (collectively, the “Lead Managers”).Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A. Shroff & Coacted as the legal advisor to the Company as to Indian law, and AZB & Partners and Jones Day acted as legal advisors to theLead Managers as to Indian law and US law, respectively. Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP, Chartered Accountants, are the statutory auditors to the Company.
The Company is proposing to undertake a private placement of 5.18 crore equity shares at Rs. 144.68 per equity share aggregating to Rs. 750 crores to a subsidiary of Axiata Group Berhad of Malayasia, an existing key shareholder of company, subject to shareholders’ and other necessary approvals.

#Idea and #IOCL join hands to service over 82 million LPG consumers

Idea Cellular, India’s 3rd largest mobile operator and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), the largest Oil Marketing Company in the country, have entered into a long-term agreement for servicing over 82 million LPG consumers of ‘Indane’. As part of the agreement, Idea will extend its ‘Smart Gas Solution’ service to enable end-to-end automation on refill delivery process of IOCL. The process starts from initiating booking LPG Booking through IVRS on Idea request, billing, etc and ends with delivery of LPG cylinder with regular updates to consumers, across the country.

Covering over 82 million consumers and over 7,000 distributors delivering more than 1.5 million LPG cylinders everyday, Idea’s ‘Smart Gas Solution’ service agreement with IOCL, for a period of two years, is one of the largest IVR Deployment by a telecom operator, in recent times. The service allows Indane consumers to book LPG 24x7 and offers IVR and SMS based delivery status updates, without having to visit the distributor‘s outlet.

Talking about the project, Mr. AN Jha, Executive Director (LPG), IOCL, said, “This has been one of the major e-governance projects for IOCL and has not only helped us enhance overall transparency in LPG cylinder booking and real-time reporting, helping better stocks and logistic management across country, but also faster problem resolution and better experience for the consumers.”

According to Mr. Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular, “Idea has always believed in offering simple telephony ideas to solve day-to-day problems. We understood the loop-holes in the Gas distribution system and offered a simple, yet, robust solution to IOCL to help them overcome the distribution challenges and provide convenience and satisfaction to their end consumers. We are happy to undertake one of the largest deployments of IVR across the world, involving automation of the complete business process of LPG booking till delivery. This is a major boost to our Enterprise business solution which is focussed on providing unique voice and data based Telecom Solutions to help large, medium and small enterprises to transform their businesses.”
Presently, the service is launched in 45 cities and would be progressively rolled out across India in the next three months.

Background on ‘Idea’s Smart Gas Solution’:

Traditionally, LPG bookings were done through appointed Distributors, and customers were required to call up distributor or personally visit, to book gas. This system was plagued with inefficiencies and arbitrariness because of complete control resting with the distributor. Also, due to subsidies on LPG, there was risk of distribution malpractices. Whereas the customer faced inconveniences such as continuously busy Telephone Lines, restricted calling time and calls not being answered, the LPG companies were faced with several other challenges such as Refill cylinders meant for household supply being diverted to commercial market, leading to artificial shortage, and lack of insightful and authentic MIS.

Idea’s LPG Booking System, ‘Smart Gas Solution’, has addressed these inherent inefficiencies and reduced the scope of malpractices. Idea’s end-to-end technology based Booking and Billing system have reduced distributors’ role to only refill delivery while shifting entire refill booking under the LPG company’s direct control.

#Idea’s 3G services now available in #Punjab

Idea Cellular, the country’s 3rd largest and fastest growing mobile operator, announced the launch of 3G services in Punjab today. Idea’s national 3G footprint now covers 28 Indian states, with its own network set up across 13 large states, and through Intra Circle Roaming (ICR) agreements in the rest of the country.

Idea’s 3G network in Punjab will offer an experience ‘Like Never Before’ to customers who have waited anxiously for the state’s oldest, and most preferred mobile operator, to launch 3G services. Starting from - the Capital city of Chandigarh; to the progressive, agricultural belts of Nawanshahr, Jagraon, Malerkotla and Nabha; to the industrial hub of Ludhiana – Idea’s 3G network will grow to cover 170 towns across the state with 1800 3G cell sites by the end of FY15.

Speaking at the launch event, Mr. P Lakshminarayana, Chief Operating Officer - Corporate, Idea Cellular said, “Having witnessed consistent growth over the last 5 years, Idea is now well poised for the next wave of mobile broadband revolution, and has been investing in spectrum acquisition, network expansion, enhancing sales and service delivery channels, to proliferate mobile data services across the country. Our recent spectrum win in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz band has now given us the ability to further expand our 3G network, and launch 4G services in key revenue markets including Punjab, at an appropriate juncture.”

Idea is one of the leading mobile operators and the fastest growing in Punjab with a revenue market share of 21.3% as on Q3 FY14. With a network footprint of 4,553 sites, Idea offers 2G coverage across 227 towns and 12,103 villages in Punjab. The company is now investing in setting up a robust 3G network in the state and has the ability to launch 4G services, as well, in future. This will make Idea the only operator to offer all three mobility technologies - GSM, 3G and 4G – in Punjab, in the next few years.

Talking about Idea’s 3G offerings, Mr. Sudhir Pradhan, Chief Operating Officer – Punjab, J&K and HP, Idea Cellular said, “Idea is the only pan-India GSM operator to offer 3G services in Punjab and we assure our customers of a 3G experience ‘Like Never Before’. Idea’s 3G services will offer enhanced user experience to subscribers, allowing them to stream audio and video files at high speed, enjoy social networking, and watch movies, mobile TV and play HD Games. With a wide range of 3G data usage plans and Idea-branded 3G devices at attractive prices and affordable EMIs, Idea customers can now conveniently switch from 2G to 3G in Punjab.“

Idea’s robust distribution channel comprising of over 800 distributors, 60,000 retailers and more than 100 Idea showrooms, including special 3G Experience Zones, will enable customers to avail and enjoy 3G  services ‘like never before’.

Idea’s 3G tariff plans in Punjab have been designed to suit all pockets. From packs priced at Rs. 19 for 80MB data valid for 2 days, to Rs. 56 for 200MB for 7 days, and Rs. 98 for 300MB valid for 28 days, it also has unlimited 3G plans starting from Rs. 645 for uninterrupted data services for heavy data consumers. Idea will also be introducing a range of affordable 3G devices like high speed 3G NetSetter, Idea Netsmart Wi-fi Dongles, and Idea Smartphones in the Punjab market.

Pan-India 3G services by #IdeaCellular

Idea Cellular, India’s 3rd largest telecom operator, announces the resumption of 3G services through Intra-Circle Roaming (ICR), across 10 circles, enabling over 25% of its base of 137 million subscribers to experience high speed 3G internet on their mobile devices.

Both, prepaid and postpaid Idea customers in Delhi, Mumbai, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Kolkata & West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Assam and North East can now avail 3G services, and roam seamlessly across the country on Idea’s superior 3G network spread across the country.

According to Mr. Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular, “Idea is committed to proliferate mobile internet in India, and the extension of our 3G services on a pan-India level will give a major boost to our efforts in this direction. Idea has partnered with leading telecom operators in the country to enable seamless 3G connectivity, in addition to building a robust network, strong distribution channel, and a wide range of services and Idea branded 3G devices, to enable 3G proliferation in India.”

Idea’s prepaid and postpaid users in the 10 circles can activate 3G by calling customer care on 12345 or by visiting the nearest My Idea store. Prepaid customers can also activate by sending SMS ‘ACT3G’ to 12345. Existing Idea users can recharge with any 3G pack priced in the range of Rs. 8 to Rs. 5001* from the nearest retailer or My Idea store. New users who wish to connect with Idea, can go for a new Idea connection and a 3G recharge pack.

#IdeaCellular Q4 net up 35%

 Idea continues its enviable track record of being the fastest growing Indian Mobile operator with 17.3% growth in gross revenue in FY14 to Rs. 265,036, nearly double the wireless Industry growth rate. The 6.5%  sequential quarterly revenue growth in Q4FY14 is driven by sharp expansion of voice minutes @8.6% to 157.1 billion minutes and mobile data volume (2G+3G) growth @ 31.0% to 27.3 billion MB vs Q3FY14, indicating strong consumer demand for Idea mobile telephony.

The company clocked 17.7 million Net subscribers on VLR in FY14 against 14.9 million Net subscriber VLR additions in FY13 strengthening its presence in Indian Mobile Market. Idea now serves 137.9 million quality  subscribers as on 31st March 2014. The company strengthened its competitive standing with ‘VLR Subscriber Market Share’ @17.3% (February 2014) & ‘Revenue Market Share’ (RMS) @16.1% in Q3FY14, an RMS improvement of over 1.3% compared to Q3FY13. The quality of Idea subscribers also improved as ARPU increased to Rs.173 (vs Rs.169 in Q3FY14) and subscriber blended churn fell by 1.4% to 4.2% (vs Q3FY14).
The three quarters uptrend of ‘Average Realisation per Minute’ (ARPM) was halted with decline in ARPM by 2.8% to 43.6p from 44.9p but the voice elasticity of demand more than compensated the ARPM fall. In comparison, the company improved ‘Non Voice Revenue’ share to 16.5% (16.1% in Q3FY14) led by data growth.

The exponential growth of volume helped Data revenue reach 10.1% of overall ‘Service Revenue’ in Q4FY14, an increase of 3.5% over last one year. The company further revised Data subscriber definition, by eliminating from its reporting incidental data users of less than 1 Megabyte/month; there by Idea mobile Data user base remains nearly flat at 25.3 million (2G+3G). Consequently, blended (2G+3G) Data ARPU improved to Rs. 104 and Mobile Data Usage per Data subscriber grew to 410 MB (2G+3G) in Q4FY14. The ‘Average Realization per MB’ (ARMB) fell sharply by 4.3p in Q4FY14 to 25.3p, a harsh reminder of market place battle. The company added 5.1 million new 3G users in FY14 with 3G EoP base now at 10.2 million. The 3G user mobile data ARPU is steady at Rs. 111 per month. Idea supported its consumer centricity vision by aggressive Network expansion of 4,241 3G NodeBs, 14,684 GSM sites and ~ 8,000 km of OFC during FY14 expanding its rural coverage and strengthening urban Voice and Data Network.
In spite of higher Network expansion and inflationary pressures, Idea recorded this financial year annual EBITDA growth @ 37.5% to Rs. 73,883 million over FY13 helping improve its standalone EBITDA margin by 4.1% to 27.9%. The strong Q4FY14 revenue growth has translated into EBITDA margin improvement of 0.8% with sequential quarterly EBITDA growth of 9.6%. The double bottom line drivers of Voice and Data Business helped Idea grow its standalone Profit After Tax (PAT) from Rs. 10,080 million in FY13 to Rs.17,932 million this financial year. At consolidated level including Indus 16% contribution, Idea revenue grew by 18.1% on Financial Year basis & consolidated EBITDA by 38.8% helping margin improve by 4.7% to 31.4% in FY14.

In the recently concluded February 2014 spectrum Auction, Idea won 65.2 MHz of spectrum including 5MHz of 900 MHz spectrum for Delhi & 45 MHz contiguous spectrum of 1800 MHz spectrum band (out of 60.2 MHz). This 50 MHz contiguous spectrum (in 9 service areas) offers an option for Idea to expand its data network footprint on 3G platform in Delhi and LTE in 8 service areas of Kerala, Maharashtra & Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Haryana and North East, at an opportune time, as and when the market and technology mature. In this February 2014 spectrum auction company has committed an amount of Rs.104,242 million including upfront payment of Rs.31,436 million and Rs.72,806 million as government ‘Deferred Payment Liabilities towards spectrum’. Thus, inspite of generating Rs. 64,350 million Cash profit in FY14 an increase of 37.0% over FY13, Idea Net debt has increased to Rs. 191,855 million and Q4FY14 Net Debt to Annualized Q4 EBITDA to 2.41. The government ‘Deferred Payment Liabilities towards spectrum’ is reflecting as Debt in our books.

With a strong performance, the board of Idea has recommended dividend @ 4%, an overall payment of Rs. 1,554 million (including dividend distribution tax). As Mobility market services expand, Indian Telecom business offers exciting growth opportunities in Mobile Broadband and Rural voice telephony. Brand Idea with growing consumer affinity, strong Cash flows, expanding spectrum profile and infrastructure, reaffirms its ability to overcome current uncertain phase, emerge stronger and consolidate its market position to tap emerging voice and wireless broadband opportunities.

About Idea Cellular Ltd.
Idea Cellular is the third largest wireless operator in India with a Revenue Market Share of 16.1% (Q3FY14). Idea is listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE), and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India. Idea is part of the Aditya Birla Group, India's first truly multinational group. The group operates more than 30 countries, is anchored by an extraordinary force of over 136,000 employees belonging to 42 nationalities, and derives over 50% of its revenues from operations outside India.

Vasundhara wins Idea Rocks India – Season 6 Talent Hunt

Idea Cellular changed the life of Vasundhara from Bangalore, where she was adjudged the winner of ‘Idea Rocks India – Season 6’. Singing superstar Mika, who are also the special performers and judges of this property, felicitated Vasundhara and invited her to perform at India’s biggest musical dhamaka, ‘Idea Rocks India’, held in the city later in the evening.

Vasundhara emerged as the winner after a rigorous audition process involving thousands of entries from the length and breadth of Karnataka. A panel of eminent musicians selected the top 5 finalists who were then screened by Mika.

According to Mr. Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular, “Influencing and changing lives through innovative platforms like music is core to Idea’s brand building and customer connect strategy. Idea Rocks India is one of the biggest musical properties by a brand in India and it is heartening to witness the overwhelming response from all the corners of the country. I congratulate the winner and hope that Idea Rocks India provides a platform to him/ her to a bright future in Music.”

Felicitating the singing superstar Mika said, “I congratulate Vasundhara for winning the Idea Rocks India 2014 Talent Hunt. I see a lot of potential in her and I am confident that taking off from the Idea Rocks India stage at Bangalore will help her chart a great musical journey ahead in life.”

Mika performed at the ‘Idea Rocks India’ Main Concert in Bangalore to a packed audience mesmerizing them with stellar performances and performing alongside the winner of the talent hunt!

Also present at the occasion, Mr. Siva Ganapathi - Chief Operating Officer – Karnataka, Idea Cellular said, “After many on-ground activities, road shows and mini concerts in Karnataka, Idea Rocks India has finally come to its grand culmination with the main concert. I would like to express my gratitude to the people of Bangalore for giving such an overwhelming response to ‘Idea Rocks India’ and would like to assure them that Idea Cellular would continue to connect with them through innovative initiatives in future too”.

Idea Rocks India – Season 6 is a 17 city Concert cum Talent Hunt with music superstars Mika, Sunidhi Chauhan, Karthik and Andreah. Conceptualized in 2005, Idea Rocks India is now in its 6th edition and is aimed at identifying a combination of ideal voice, performance and X factor amongst young music aspirants and give them an opportunity to present a power packed performance along with music superstars. IRI 2014 will give an opportunity to all Indians aged 18 years and above to participate in the contest in their city.
 

‘Idea Rocks India Concludes auditions in Bangalore

One of the biggest and most popular annual music Concert cum Talent Hunt - ‘Idea Rocks India (IRI) – Season 6’, concluded their auditions in the city of Bangalore. The auditions at Bangalore witnessed over 57 participants in three categories of Solo Vocalists, Duo Vocalists, and Instrumentalists. One winner from these 5 finalists will get an opportunity of a lifetime to perform with music superstar Mika.

The 5 finalists from Bangalore are - Inderjeet, Abhishek, Einstien, Vasundhara and Archana. These finalists will come together to showcase their talents at the Idea Rocks India Mini Concert on March 28th at Garuda Mall, Magrath Road, Bangalore.

Speaking about the initiative, use quote – Mika said, “It feels great to be back with Idea Rocks India again this year. Idea Rocks India has given me a platform to connect with my fans and identify and groom the untapped, young musical talent across India. The overwhelming response that I received at my concerts last year has encouraged me to stay associated with this platform and I assure my audiences of more thrilling and invigorated performances at Idea Rocks India concerts this year.”

Music sensation Mika performed on the IRI stage last year, whereas the diva Sunidhi Chauhan was part of an earlier edition of the property. The IRI Season 6 stage will witness the return of these two stars, along with South Indian music sensation, Karthik.

All the entries received for IRI Talent Hunt were screened by a team of 4 judges with extensive music knowledge and experience, who then shortlisted 57 candidates in Bangalore. These were further screened to the Top 5 finalists by a panel of local music academicians and popular music personalities. These 5 finalists will now be groomed and prepared for the final round. The winner will be selected by IRI – 2014 music stars and the winner will get a chance to perform with Mika.

Music superstar Mika will select the final contestant of IRI – Bangalore and felicitate the winner at Supernova Arena and Convention Centre on March 30th, 2014. The winner will also get an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform with the music superstar in front of a packed house.
Mr. Siva Ganapathi - Chief Operating Officer – Karnataka, Idea Cellular, said, “Idea has always promoted young talent in Bangalore and it gives me immense pleasure to announce the finalists of Idea Rocks India in Bangalore. It is heartening to witness the extent of talent that the city holds. I hope that Idea Rocks India will prove to be a platform for these finalists in realizing bigger dreams and shine brightly on the stage with Mika in Idea Rocks India Mega Concert”
The 6th edition of ‘Idea Rocks India (IRI)’ will cover 17 Indian cities with singing superstars Mika, Sunidhi Chauhan and Karthik who are set to mesmerize audiences with their stellar performances. Idea will also give a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to 17 music aspirants to perform alongside the music stars and exhibit their talent amidst thousands of people.

Conceptualized in 2005, Idea Rocks India is now in its 6th edition and is aimed at identifying a combination of ideal voice, performance and X factor across India.

For more on the talent hunt, schedule of concerts, availability of passes etc. please log on to www.idearocksindia.com

Idea Rocks India – Season 6’

‘India’s biggest Musical Dhamaka, ‘Idea Rocks India, is back with its 6th edition, in a bigger and better avatar. This year, Idea Rocks India will mesmerize audiences in 17 cities with stellar performances by singing superstars Mika, Sunidhi Chauhan and Karthik. The first round of Idea Rocks India will take off tomorrow at a glittering rock concert by Sunidhi Chauhan at Kanpur followed by her concert in Hyderabad on 16th March.

Idea Rocks India (IRI) 2014 will also conduct a Talent Hunt to identify and recognize musical talent, and give once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to 17 music aspirants to perform alongside the music superstars and exhibit their talent amidst thousands of people. This year, IRI 2014 Talent Hunt has been extended to three categories - Vocalists, Duo Vocalists, and Instrumentalists - allowing a much larger base of music aspirants to participate.

Speaking about the initiative, Mr. Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular said, “The highly successful and popular Idea Rocks India is a property built on the strong foundation of our brand promise – An Idea can change your life! Over the last 5 seasons, it has changed the lives of many aspirants by giving them a large platform to demonstrate their talent and advance their music careers. The scale, reach and connect of Idea Rocks India is unparalleled and is the only brand owned music property of this magnitude in the country. By expanding the categories of talent hunt in IRI, and with power packed performers like Mika, Sunidhi and Karthik, we are confident of making the show bigger and better this year.”

Music sensation Mika performed on the IRI stage last year, whereas the diva Sunidhi Chauhan was part of the show in its earlier edition. The IRI 2014 stage will witness the return of these two stars, along with South music star Karthik who will perform along with young talent Andreah. These Artists will select the final winner from each of the 17 cities of IRI 2014 Talent Hunt and give them an opportunity to perform with them at the mega concerts.

Speaking about his association with Idea Rocks India, the singing sensation, Mika said, “It feels great to be back with Idea Rocks India again this year. Idea Rocks India has given me a platform to connect with my fans and identify and groom the untapped, young musical talent across India. The overwhelming response that I received at my concerts last year has encouraged me to stay associated with this platform and I assure my audiences of more thrilling and invigorated performances at Idea Rocks India concerts this year.”

Music diva, Sunidhi Chauhan said, “Idea Rocks India has been consistently providing not only musical entertainment but also recognition to young talent. It is a platform which nurtures and promotes aspiring musical talent across India. I have some fond memories of performing at Idea Rocks India many years ago and I am looking forward to a more entertaining and exciting tour this season.”

Audition for the IRI 2014 Talent Hunt has begun across four different platforms! Interested contestants can submit their entries online on www.idearocksindia.com; participate in the on-ground or Radio auditions, across 68 Indian towns and cities. Additionally, Idea customers can also audition by calling and recording their voice on IVR 5545610.

All the entries will be screened by a team of 4 judges with extensive music knowledge and experience, who will then shortlist 60 candidates per city. These will further be live screened to the Top 5 finalists by a panel of local music academicians and popular music personalities who will then be groomed and prepared for the final round. The winner will be selected by IRI – 2014 music superstars and each winner across 17 cities will then get a chance to perform with Mika or Sunidhi or Karthik and Andreah.

Conceptualized in 2005, Idea Rocks India is now in its 6th edition and is aimed at identifying a combination of ideal voice, performance and X factor amongst young music aspirants and give them an opportunity to present a power packed performance along with music superstars. IRI 2014 will give an opportunity to all Indians aged 18 years and above to participate in the contest in their city.

Passes for Idea Rocks India will be available at all My Idea outlets. For more on the talent hunt, schedule of concerts, availability of passes etc. please log on to www.idearocksindia.com

Idea Cellular introduces new brand campaig

“Know more = No Ullu banana”, is the new Idea! This is the essence of the latest brand campaign by Idea Cellular, featuring its Brand Ambassador Abhishek Bachchan. The ad highlights the power of mobile internet on the Idea network, and how it can empower users to evade unscrupulous situations and people in India.

Idea’s new ad rides on a catchy jingle and a very popular colloquial phrase – ‘Ullu banana’. The campaign builds on a simple cultural insight i.e. ’in India, people easily fall prey to everyday small cons because they are ignorant’.”. This is so rampant in the country that every region and language has colloquialisms for it such as Ullu banana in Hindi. The new Idea ad offers a simple solution to this large societal problem i.e. ‘Get Idea Internet on Mobile’ and get rid of cheats.

Speaking about the new campaign, Mr. Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular said, “Idea has been at the forefront of spreading awareness about 3G and Mobile Internet services in India, for the last 3 years. We are the only mobile operator to offer a wide range of self-branded, affordable 3G smartphones to upgrade 2G users to 3G. Our new campaign, aims to further build on Idea’s strong Mobile Internet service network, on a pan-India basis, and get non-users to enter the category by making them understand the utility and benefits of using internet on mobile. We have tried to demystify mobile internet services to the larger Indian population by giving our own unique cut of “A telephony idea that can change your life”, and in a lingo that would connect with our TG, almost instantly.”

The new Idea ad shows different segments of consumers, who are not likely to be Internet savvy - like housewives, senior citizens, rural folk, users of feature phones etc. - using Idea’s Mobile Internet to get out of sticky situations and turn the tables on those who try to take advantage of them, in an entertaining, engaging and quirky Idea way.

The core message of the campaign is “Idea Internet All India” dramatized by the catchphrase “har mobile par internet, what an idea!”
Idea has already released teaser banners and the extremely hummable jingle on social media. The campaign will be amplified across 360 media including TV, Radio, Outdoors, Activation, Digital and Social media.

The new TVC breaks on national Television on Friday, February 21st, 2014.

The new creative has been developed by Lowe and the jingle composed by Abhishek Arora, while the lyrics is by Amitabh Bhattacharya.

Catch the jingle at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBAHG6hdsEY

About IDEA Cellular

IDEA Cellular is India’s 3rd largest national mobile operator, with more than 130 million subscribers. With traffic in excess of 1.5 billion minutes a day, Idea ranks among the Top 10 country operators in the world. Using the latest in technology, Idea provides world-class service delivery through the most extensive network of customer touch points. Idea is listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.



IDEA Cellular is an Aditya Birla Group Company, India's first truly multinational corporation. The Group ranks Number 4 globally and Number 1 in the Asia Pacific in the 2011 Top Companies for Leaders (TCFL) study conducted by Aon Hewitt, Fortune (the Global Business Magazine) and the RBL Group. It operates in 36 countries, and is anchored by more than 136,000 employees belonging to 42 nationalities. More information on Idea Cellular is available at www.ideacellular.com and on the Aditya Birla Group at www.adityabirla.com

Idea’s spectrum win to enable it to launch 4G services in Karnataka

The provisional results of the auction of 900 MHz and 1800 MHz spectrum were announced recently, subject to approval by the Govt. Idea Cellular, the 3rd largest mobile operator in India, has won a total of 5 MHz of spectrum in the 1800 MHz band which will give it the ability to launch 4G services, at an appropriate juncture also further enhance the GSM services in the Karnataka.

Idea Cellular’s growing market share in Karnataka will further get strengthened by its ability to launch 4G while enhancing customer experience by growing the voice business, as a result of the spectrum win.

In the recently concluded spectrum auction, Idea Cellular, India’s 3rd largest mobile operator won a total of 65.2 MHz of spectrum under the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands. This will now give it the impetus to expand the network and launch 4G in 8 of its key revenue markets, covering 64% of revenues at an appropriate juncture. Idea now has the ability to launch 4G services in Kerala with 10 MHz, and in Maharashtra & Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Haryana, and North East, using 5 MHz of contiguous 1800 MHz spectrum won in each of these service areas.

Idea has also acquired the ability to deploy 3G services in the strategically significant metro market of Delhi by winning 5 MHz in the 900 MHz band. With Delhi metro 900 MHz, Idea now has the ability to extend its 3G services to 12 circles covering nearly 79% of its gross revenues (Idea Standalone Gross Revenue is Rs. 255,581 million in calendar year 2013).

It also acquired additional top up spectrum in 1800 MHz in Mumbai metro and Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh – 2 MHz each, Maharashtra & Goa – 4 MHz, Punjab – 3 MHz, Gujarat – 1.6 MHz, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana – 1 MHz each, and Delhi – 0.6 MHz.

The total accepted bid value is approx. Rs. 10,400 crore at Rs. 160 crore/MHz, primarily for its 9 strategic service areas. This bid price will be covered within less than two years in EBITDA terms, based on the current EBITDA trends of these 9 strategic markets. After the initial payment of approx. Rs. 3,100 crore, the balance amount will be paid in ten equal instalments after the first two year moratorium including interest @ 10%.

About IDEA CellularIDEA Cellular is India’s 3rd largest national mobile operator, with more than 130 million subscribers. With traffic in excess of 1.5 billion minutes a day, Idea ranks among the Top 10 country operators in the world. Using the latest in technology, Idea provides world-class service delivery through the most extensive network of customer touch points. Idea is listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.

IDEA Cellular is an Aditya Birla Group Company, India's first truly multinational corporation. The Group ranks Number 4 globally and Number 1 in the Asia Pacific in the 2011 Top Companies for Leaders (TCFL) study conducted by Aon Hewitt, Fortune (the Global Business Magazine) and the RBL Group. It operates in 36 countries, and is anchored by more than 136,000 employees belonging to 42 nationalities. More information on Idea Cellular is available at www.ideacellular.com and on the Aditya Birla Group at www.adityabirla.com