Viom Networks Ltd, the country’s second largest mobile tower company, is in talks with foreign telecom operators for providing tower management services.
Viom will offer third party services in maintaining the tower.
The company is in talks with operators from different regions such as South Asia, East Asia, Africa and Middle East.
“We have been exploring and carrying out business development over the last one year. We will close business deals appropriately when it is a win-win for both the stakeholders,” Mr Umang Das, President of Viom Networks, told
Such ‘managed services’ are provided for a fee. Some of the high-end services provided include energy management, operation and maintenance, cost optimisation and remote management in a multi-sharing environment.
“We will not look into day-to-day operations of towers but at offering high-end solutions only,” he added. He, however, did not name any operator that the company was in discussions with.
“We cannot name any specific customer or market or any particular business negotiation,” Mr Das said, adding that they are interested in emerging markets.
Viom Networks was formed in 2009 after Kolkata-based Srei Group’s Quippo Telecom Infrastructure Limited (QTIL) announced its partnership with Tata Teleservices Ltd (TTSL). In early 2010, the telecom towers section of TTSL and QTIL merged to create Viom. It is now an independent entity with over 40,000 towers and a tenancy ratio of 2:4. Currently, 40 per cent of Viom’s tower rentals are from Tata, followed by Uninor which accounts for nearly 20 per cent.
New Acquisitions
Asked if the company was looking for acquisitions, Mr Das said that such opportunities will be considered if it fit the “overall strategy”.
“We may also consider strategic participation in relevant acquisition opportunities if it fits into our overall strategy of shared tower infrastructure management,” he said.