Tikona’s 4G: A Robust Business Strategy

Tikona Digital Networks is one of the leading broadband service providers in India. The company announced the roll out of its 4G home broadband service in Varanasi during September end.

Service in Varanasi

Tikona provides its ‘Zabbardus’ service in Durgakund, Sigra, Nadesar, Paharia, Kamaksha, and Gadholiya areas of Varanasi. Consumers can enjoy a high speed of 6 Mbps at just INR 950 per month with a data cap of 50 GB. Users who have higher data requirements can opt for Zabbardus 10 Mbps “flexi usage plan” at INR 3999 which has flexible validities and usage limits depending upon the user’s requirement. The user can also extend the validity as per his needs.

Founder, Managing Director (MD), and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tikona, Prakash Bajpai, revealed that the company launched its first 4G service in the city of Varanasi. It will soon roll out the service in other cities, as well. Bajpai is sure that users in Varanasi will enjoy the best possible experience, when using their home broadband services for multiple purposes.

Tikona’s 4G plans

Tikona is one of the biggest companies to focus on indoor home broadband services, since its inception. It is also one of a kind because all other operators are focusing on outdoor broadband services. Additionally, Tikona is working to provide complete coverage to all the cities in its five telecom circles and will bring nearby villages under its coverage, as well.

Tikona had bagged 4G spectrum license in 5 circles in 2010. These include Rajasthan, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh (East), and Uttar Pradesh (West). The company is planning to replicate its Varanasi model in these areas and is gearing up to launch its commercial 4G services by the end of this year.

“Tikona has perfected a technology that is wireless in the last mile, but provides wireline technology. We have created a cost structure that is 1/10th of a wireline company’s costs, in terms of deployment, and the focus is on providing Indian innovation to meet the problems of the Indian broadband industry”, Bajpai said.

Tikona’s 4G strategy is different from other telecom operators. The company is aggregating fiber from operators like RailTel, Vodafone, Airtel, and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), among others. Unlike others, Tikona simply needs to focus on offering broadband connectivity for homes and offices to serve the ever-increasing demand. The company believes internet is the prime source of content and hence it does not feel the need to build a content ecosystem. The growth of internet and smart phones will itself leverage the usage and data consumption, and thus, the profits for the company.

With its launch of 4G services by the first quarter of calendar year 2016, Tikona plans to approach 50% market share and 70% traffic share in cities for home broadband services. Industry experts are highly optimistic about the endeavor and expect the company to grow considerably in the reminings years of the decade.