Excerpts:

CIOL: Given that SMBs are set to spend more on telecom in 2009, do you think Indian small and medium businesses (SMBs) are robust enough to adopt new technologies?

Sunil Goyal: The SMB segment in India is increasingly focusing on adopting newer technology to address their growth requirements, and today is amongst the foremost adopters of new technology in the country. The extensive demand for telecom solutions from the segment can be understood by the fact that they contribute up to 30 percent of spends in the Office Automation segment. In fact, the recent AMI Partners study also corroborated this trend wherein they highlighted that SMBs in India are on track to spend more than US$6.4 billion this year on telecom equipment and services, about seven percent more than they did last year

CIOL: What edge does Beetel products offer to SMBs?

SG: At Bharti Teletech, we have always focused on offering the latest technology innovations and features at competitive prices to our customers. In keeping with our commitment to offer feature-rich phones, we have introduced phones with features like FM radio, SIM card reader, etc. In the cordless phones segment, we have introduced the lowest priced cordless model at sub thousand price point as well as the slimmest cordless phone. The USP of Beetel products is that they are aesthetically good, innovative and offer value for money kind of pricing. And, we are the only company to offer a unique one-year replacement warranty

Also, with the increasing demand from the SMB and SOHO segment to adopt new technologies like VoIP, video and audio conferencing, we are focusing on offering technologically advanced products like audio and video conferencing phones through our partnerships with world leaders like Polycom. As telecom operators move towards becoming unified service providers providing telephony, Internet, broadband, Video, IPTV and voice & data services, we will introduce more and more products which enable the SMB segment to avail these services.

CIOL: What is Beetel's market share in the SMB market?

SG: Beetel is the leader in the market and enjoys an overall market share of 50 percent, and 40 percent in the SMB segment.

CIOL: What is the market response for the 2.4 GHz cordless phones launched recently?

SG: In keeping with our commitment to offer feature-rich phones, we were the first telecom manufacturer to introduce the 2.4 GHz technology in the country. The demand for the technologically advanced 2.4 GHz cordless phone launch is increasing by the day as consumers look at getting more benefits from their fixed-line phones. The introduction of the 2.4 GHz cordless phone at sub Rs.1,000 is yet another initiative which is yet to give an impetus to the adoption of superior technology in the country. Also the company has launched CB67000 - the slimmest cordless phone in India providing Digital Voice clarity and features like Easy Touch N Dial illuminated keypad, speakerphone and Phone book memory.

CIOL: How formidable is Beetel's distribution network? How do you plan to reach out to small and home business, which are yet to open up themselves to technology?

SG: Beetel has the largest distribution network amongst Consumer Durable Companies in India with a Pan India presence of 350 plus distributor spread across 300 plus towns. We have retail outlets across the country catering to retail consumer in the home and SOHO segment. In addition to this we have over 1600 institutional dealers who cater to SMB, enterprise, government and educational segment. This extensive distribution network gives us the desired reach to effectively cater to the SMB segment in the remotest parts of the country.