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With a long innings of 30 years in telecom, Vikram Tiwathia takes pride in being part of this sector, which has been the torchbearer of the liberalisation process. He believes that telecom is the biggest growth driver of the economy. ?The number of individuals that telecom touches far exceeds any other industry,? he notes. ?Communication provides one with a sense of connectivity and security. It is the biggest catalyst for promoting inclusive growth.?
Armed with an M.Tech. in electronics and communication engineering (with a specialisation in microwave engineering) from IIT Kharagpur, Tiwathia served as a colonel in the army, heading its communications unit. He later moved on to work as chief information officer with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and later as chief regulatory relations officer with Tata Teleservices Limited and TATA DOCOMO before joining the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI). Tiwathia, who is currently associate director-general at COAI, sees the organisation playing a significant role in understanding the regulatory climate and aligning industry players? concerns with those of DoT and TRAI.
Identifying industry trends and challenges, he says, ?We are going to see a significant enhancement in data uptake. So far, there has been a huge vacuum in voice due to the lack of adequate infrastructure; the future lies in data services. As an industry body, our task is to find out how best we can help industry members and consumers.? The COAI is working closely with its members to identify difficult issues and the way forward in addressing them. Development and policies related to spectrum, broadband and ensuring a green environment are the issues that top COAI?s agenda. To achieve these objectives Tiwathia engages in public interaction, and undertakes regular talks with industry members, the government and the regulatory authority. For Tiwathia, his most exciting project was when he was with the CII. He was a part of the team that launched telepresence in four cities ? Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai. It launched this service along with Cisco.
His army days also threw up several challenges. ?During my long association with the Indian army, the most memorable and toughest assignment was my posting at Siachen glacier. I managed communication services for the highest battleground on the earth.?
Tiwathia believes in empowering the people who work with him, encourages them to give honest feedback and then makes decisions based on the inputs received. He advises his team to break down complex issues into smaller tasks.
He likes to unwind by playing golf and trekking. He last trekked to Bhutan with his 22-year-old son.
