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Time Ripe To Expand In India: Jim Taiclet

03 February 2015

American Tower Corporation (ATC), which owns and operates wireless and broadcast communication sites, is willing to invest more in the country as clarity in telecom regulations and 4G expansion plans of mobile operators present an opportunity for the USD 3 billion global major. Jim Taiclet, president and chief executive officer of ATC told ET in an exclusive interview at the just concluded World Economic Forum in Davos that ATC's India business has recovered from the problems caused by the scandal in spectrum allocation nearly three years ago.

"Our growth (in India) has been on track, but not as high as we would have wanted it to be. That was because of the recession, and the re issuing of telecom licenses and the issues with Chinese equipment," said Taiclet. "I think those conditions are clear now, spectrum is becoming more rationally allocated, major operators are recommitting capital to the sector and you have the new entrant of Reliance who wants to do something different now in fixed wireless which would probably prompt others to go into 4G. So the conditions are ripe for us to not only have M&A opportunities, but also the growth rate," he added.

Taiclet who was in India in November 2014, says that in his interactions with the regulators he got a sense that attitude of the Indian administration towards investment is headed in an "excellent direction".

ATC now has 13 thousand towers in India, and is putting up 100 towers every month at a cost of USD 65 thousand per tower to meet demands of mobile operators. Its next big bet is going to be the 4G service rolls out in the country. – The Economic Times

Source : http://www.communicationstoday.co.in