Teddy Bhullar (CEO of Emtel): “Data will be the growth engine for the future”

Emtel, a member of the Currimjee Group, turns 27 years old. On that occasion, Business Magazine met with its new CEO, Teddy Bhullar, to discuss about the future of this major player in the ICT sector.

BUSINESSMAG. How do you assess the performance of the mobile and internet sectors in Mauritius?

Mauritius is a highly penetrated market. In fact, we have 131% mobile penetration which is a very high level compared to any other country in Africa and Asia. And that’s why we need to have a different model over here for the industry rather than one which is only based on new acquisitions, new coverage or new areas of growth. So we are banking on a huge consumption by adding new devices, multiple formats of usage like tablets, mobile devices, home internet.

BUSINESSMAG. Is Emtel well equipped to face the fierce competition in the ICT sector?

Emtel is fully prepared to face its competitors. Competition is always good in the telecom industry as it compels all operators to deliver new products to the market and innovation is required to grab the customers’ attention. We are well equipped to do that. We are a fully integrated operator. We have 3G, 4G LTE services. We offer enterprise solutions. We have a Data Centre which is for the future-ready business. And FTTA (Fibre to the Air), which is a breakthrough technology and in which we are investing, provides faster and better high speed internet bandwidth, and will help us increase market share. I think we are equipped to do that.

BUSINESSMAG. To what extent does the price of Internet impede on the growth of the telecom industry?

Internet is getting more and more affordable compared to previous years. Price will not be a barrier because you will get more and more consumers, more and more new users. You will find people who are using data more in different ways.

BUSINESSMAG. Does the country have the assets in order to achieve the digital goals set by the government?

I think we definitely have the assets because of the location. We are so close to Africa and everything is connected by fibre optic cables these days. Mauritius is also a safe place to do business. The ease of doing business is good here. It is a country where there is lot of attractions for tourists. So the environment is here.

BUSINESSMAG. What are the priority development areas of Emtel this year?

The voice and other conventional services are stagnant or not growing or growing marginally. Data will be the growth engine for the future, as well as Internet roam which is already here through FTTA and 3G/4G services and enterprise solutions. Data will be one, enterprises and customers will be the second one. The internet to the home, providing internet to mobile users will be another zone of growth and the customer service is something that we are focusing on.

The customer side is growing year by year, but marginally because of the limited population, but it is growing.

BUSINESSMAG. Is regional expansion of interest to you?

Yes, definitely. There are markets which interest us with a different return. It will be challenging. It depends on the markets where we can get good return on investment and opportunities. Airtel has invested in Emtel. It is the world’s third largest operator in terms of customer-base and one of the reasons is that they have seen that there is a potential in Mauritius.