How Ratan Tata transformed Indian telecom ecosystem: Story in 3 points

Ratan Tata, the visionary leader of the Tata Group, passed away on October 9 at the age of 86. "It is with a profound sense of loss that we bid farewell to Mr. Ratan Naval Tata, a truly uncommon leader whose immeasurable contributions have shaped not only the Tata Group but also the very fabric of our nation," N Chandrasekaran, the Chairman of Tata Sons, wrote in the note announcing the news.

A lot has been said about how Tata, in his over 30 years of leadership, transformed the Tata Group into the global giant that it is today by diversifying the business across sectors including aviation and retail. However, little is said about how Tata Group transformed the Indian telecom ecosystem under the leadership of Ratan Tata. From Tata Teleservices to Tata Communications and later Tata Sky, Tata Group not only rolled out home broadband services in the country, but it also made inroads in the global submarine cable network, becoming a key player in the global communications network.

As we bid adieu to the iconic leader of the Tata Group, take a look at how he helped in transforming the telecom ecosystem in India:

– Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited was founded in 1986 as a telecom service provider under the ownership of the Indian government's Department of Telecommunications. It was sold to the Tata Group in 2008, post which it became Tata Communications. In 2012, the company created an under-sea network of fibre optics cable that circumnavigates the world. Today Tata Communications global network is one of the top five IP providers in the world and it offers network connectivity to more than 190 countries.

– Under Tata's leadership, Tata Group also forayed into the telecom service sector in India. In 2008, Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL) announced that it would provide telecom services in India under the brand name Tata Indicom. Later in the year, Japanese telecom company picked up a 26 percent share in the company, post which the company became Tata Docomo. In 2010, the company become the first private player to launch 3G mobile services in the country.

– Under Tata's leadership, Tata Group also forayed in the ICT sector. Tata Teleservices Limited was founded in 1995 as an information and communication technology (ICT) provider that provides internet connectivity to businesses in India. Today it provides connectivity, collaboration, cloud, SaaS, security, and IoT services in over 60 cities in India and has a fibre optic network reach of over 1.3 lakh Km.  

Bonus: Tata Play (formerly Tata Sky) is a joint venture between Tata Sons Private Limited and TFCF Corporation, formerly known as Twenty-First Century Fox. It began its services in 2006 as a direct-to-home (DTH) service provider. In 2012, Tata Sky partnered with Ericsson to launch the first video-on-demand service in the country and in 2015, it became the first DTH operator to offer a 4K set-top-boxes to the users. Today it has a footprint of over 23 million connections in India.