Telecom Lead India: Uninor, a Telenor subsidiary that
lost all of its 22 licences following the Supreme Court verdict, has posted
gross revenue of Rs 807.75 crore for the quarter ended 31, December 2011, up
23.99 percent against gross revenue of Rs 651.48 crore for the quarter ended
30, September 2011.

 

For the quarter ended 31 December 2010, Uninor’s gross
revenue stood at Rs 301.14 crore.

 

At the quarter ended 31, December 2011, Uninor’s total
subscriber base stood at 36.31 million. The company added 2.34 million
subscribers in February and 1.29 million new customers in March, taking its
total user-base to 42.43 million by March-end.

 

In January, the company surpassed all the leading Indian
operators in terms of addition of new subscribers, which shows the popularity
of the company and can be seen as a positive sign for the operator, as it is
gearing up for the fresh 2G auction.

 

Uninor added 17.8 million mobile subscribers in its 13
circles in 2011, ahead of wireless operators such as Idea Cellular, Reliance
Communications, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, BSNL, Aircel, MTS India, etc.

 

The gross revenue of the industry for the quarter ended
31, December 2011, recorded at Rs 49365.18 crore, up 15.3 percent against Rs
42916.81 crore for the quarter ended 31, December 2010. However, in terms of
q-o-q growth, gross revenue declined 1.16 percent, as gross revenue for the
quarter ended 30, September, 2011 recorded at Rs 49942.25 crore.

 

Uninor has recently expressed its plans for the selection
of a new strategic partner for its operations – Uninor Wireless – in India, ahead of the 2G spectrum
auction.

 

The Norwegian telecom firm is in talks with several
companies to replace Unitech as Uninor’s equity partner as its partnership with
the real estate major has hit a roadblock.

 

Uninor’s managing director Sigve Brekke said that
Telenor’s new partner will have 26 per cent stake in the company as Telenor has
decided to increase its equity from 67 per cent to 74 per cent.

 

He added the company had decided to stay on course with
its investments in India as it was optimistic of a successful resolution of the
situation arising out of the cancellation of the company’s 2G telecom licences.

 

Telenor Group has also announced its plans to invest up
to Rs 2,000 crore more in order to continue its telecom services in India.
However, the company is taking steps to secure Rs 14,500 crore already pumped
into Uninor, the joint venture with Indian realty firm Unitech.

 

Danish Khan
[email protected]