Summary

India's telecom sector has faced significant headwinds in the past couple of years, primarily because of tariff wars, even as it consolidated into a trio-poly, as it were.

There were some tariff hikes also recently, which will help up the average revenue per user (ARPU). But just as that happened came a huge blow in the form of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues because of which their liabilities run north of Rs 1 lakh crore.

Even as they stagger back, they need to start preparing for 5G (fifth generation) mobile services rollout, which would mean another round of humongous capex.

One bright spot of late has been the proliferation of work from home, video conferencing and other forms of online business communications, along with a big uptick in over-the-top, or OTT, streaming services in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The new normal in business comprising - alternative (workplace), bandwidth, connectivity and data, or ABCD – will dial up incremental demand for telecommunication services.

But does that trend have enough heft to change the trajectory of growth and facilitate another round of tariff hikes? Will telcos get some relief on AGR liabilities? The answers will have significant ramifications on their future.

In this context, CRISIL is hosting a webinar where our experts will offer insights on:

• Outlook on data consumption, subscriber base and average revenue per user (ARPU)
• India’s readiness for 5G
• Will wired broadband get a new lease of life with 'work from home' becoming the new normal
• Impact of AGR on the industry
• Revenue, profitability and credit outlook of telecom companies

The webinar will be followed by a panel discussion with industry leaders and a Q&A session.