Navigating Competition and Innovation in India's Telecom Sector: Thomas K. Thomas, November 7, 2024

Thomas K. Thomas, Senior Associate Editor and Chief of the Mumbai Bureau at The Hindu Business Line, spoke about the unique dynamics of the telecom sector in India. 
The telecom beat is particularly intriguing because it serves as a crossroads for consumers, policymakers, and corporations, said Thomas, in an interaction at the Asian College of Journalism. 
In the last few years, public sector telecom companies have struggled to compete with their private counterparts, who resorted to predatory pricing.  BSNL, once a dominant state-owned enterprise, briefly exited the market as it failed to adapt to the competitive landscape created by Jio's disruptive entry in 2016. Jio posed a major challenge with its aggressive pricing and extensive 4G network rollout, leading to a dramatic increase in mobile internet usage across India.
In the sector’s nascent stages, the Central government used licensing to award spectrums to companies. Licensing was later replaced with a bidding system that improved competition. The auctioning system is now being challenged by Elon Musk’s Starlink as it differs from global policies that prefer the allocation of satellite spectrums. 
Thomas advised the student journalists to be persistent and proactive in cultivating relationships with industry insiders and policymakers. This approach not only enhances reporting accuracy but also provides deeper insights into ongoing developments in this fast-evolving field.