CommScope, one of the leading providers of radio frequency (RF)-based products and solutions, is developing innovative products like base station antenna solutions for long term evolution (LTE) networks. In an interview with tele.net, Pankaj Gandhi, director, wireless sales, India and SAARC, CommScope, talks about the company?s focus areas, the challenges facing it and its future plans.
Excerpts?
What are the highlights of the company?s performance in the past year?
CommScope?s performance over the past year has been in line with its plans and expectations. Though leading telecom operators in India have made limited investments in the past year, the company is on track with its business plans and has gained market share.
The demand for our products and systems in the base station antenna segment has been significantly higher than expectations. The industry is witnessing a steady shift towards high-value, multi-band and multi-port antennas. As a result, the company has witnessed increasing demand for its ultra-wideband antennas, which provide operators the flexibility and scalability to upgrade, or switch to 2.5G, 3G and 4G technologies on high-band frequencies of 1700 MHz to 2700 MHz. The company has shifted the majority of its customers from traditional corrugated copper cables to its HELIAX FXL smooth wall aluminium cables. A key achievement has been securing a contract from Air Cable.
How is CommScope positioned in the Indian market and what is its business strategy?
We started our Indian operations in 1997 as Andrew Telecommunications India and the company was subsequently acquired by CommScope in 2007. Today, the company provides networking solutions for three segments ? wireless, broadband and enterprise ? covering in-building wireless, data centre cabling and network infrastructure. We have two sales offices for our wireless business in Delhi and Mumbai along with a manufacturing facility in Goa. The unit supplies RF products, base station and microwave antennas, and enterprise products.
What are the key challenges for CommScope?
The Indian telecom market has gone through testing times in the past couple of years but has continued to grow. The industry offers major opportunities to expand our business and offer infrastructure solutions. Therefore, despite some short-term challenges, the industry offers long-term sustainability options for undertaking business. There is still a vast geography to be covered. We expect significant data service uptake in the country going forward. As per industry sources, the mobile data traffic in the Indian market is expected to grow by 58 times between 2011 and 2016, at a compound annual growth rate of 126 per cent.
How does the Indian telecom sector compare with the global telecom market?
India is one of the largest and fastest growing telecom markets in the world with over 860 million mobile users. The telecom sector continues to play a key role in the country?s economic growth, contributing about 3 per cent to the GDP. High telecom penetration also helps in improving the socio-economic status of people.
The Indian telecom market is uniquely positioned with the coexistence of 2G, 3G and 4G. Therefore, it cannot be a direct comparison with the global market. In countries like the US and Japan, where the LTE market is growing, there is a sharp decline in 2G service uptake. 2G services would be phased out in several countries in the future. However, in India, even after the launch of 3G and LTE services, the majority of consumers continue to use 2G.
What will be the company?s key focus areas over the next two years?
We want to maintain our position as the leading provider of complete RF path solutions and help wireless carriers modernise cell sites and optimise network planning, capacity, coverage and performance. We will focus on new and innovative solutions like the Sentinel microwave antenna ? the base station antenna solutions for LTE and the latest generation of HELIAX. Heliax FXL meets the increasing demand at traditional sites for lighter, more flexible and lower-loss RF transmission. As compared to corrugated all-copper cables, HELIAX FXL?s smooth wall design helps operators reduce capital and operating costs.
To meet the local business and industry demand, the company will work with customers on fuel cell development. We are also mapping out our action plan to introduce products and solutions for capacity sites, especially for in-building solutions and outdoor distributed antenna systems.
What new products and solutions is the company planning to launch in 2013-14?
With respect to 4G roll-outs, we are looking to provide heterogeneous networks (HetNet), which enable operators to use different technologies to offer a seamless service experience. HetNet includes two interlinking layers designed to provide coverage and capacity. In addition, we are introducing innovative products in structural design, which help improve antenna performance and productivity.
