MAM
Hutch, Airtel lead the cellular race: TNS Celltrack study
MUMBAI: “Mirror Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” With so many cellular network services in the fray, competition is expected to be tough as the companies scramble to live up to customer expectations.
The latest annual study done by TNS Celltrack reveals that cellular service providers, Hutch and Airtel have captured top rankings in meeting customer expectations.
On the other hand, CDMA players Tata Indicom and Reliance Infocomm are still far below in the customers’ reckoning and MTNL, the traditional cellular operator has appeared at the bottom of the heap.
The final tally for the top five performers among individual operators has Hutch leading with a TRI*M Index of 99 in Gujarat, the next three operators from Madhya Pradesh – Idea, Reliance Infocomm and BSNL lead with 93, 91 and 90 TRI*M scores respectively. Hutch, Mumbai figures in the fifth slot with a TRI*M score of 84. Reliance Infocomm has done extremely well in MP considering it’s way below in the overall ranking.
TNS used its proprietary TRI*M Stakeholder Relationship Management System, wherein the TRI*M Index is a measure of the ‘intensity of retention’ and takes into consideration both the subscribers’ level of satisfaction with the service provider as well as the level of retention and loyalty towards the service provider.
The TRI*M Index of cellular phone subscribers at 70 is distinctly higher as opposed to CDMA subscribers, at 54. And inspite of the CDMA operators’ ability to attract customers and grow the customer base substantially in 2003, the CDMA/ WLL operators have not been able to anticipate and meet customer expectations, the study revealed.
TNS zeroed in on 4,921 mobile users using a structured questionnaire across the 13-telecom circles, covering both GSM and CDMA service providers. While the study covered about 75 elements of the subscriber-service provider relationship, the parameters were whittled down to eight broad dimensions namely, network and coverage, value added services, company image, recharging processes and procedures (among prepaid), purchase process, billings and payments, tariffs and pricing and customer care/ helpline. Fieldwork for the study was conducted between November to December 2003.
TNS India Vice President, Stakeholder Management Division Abraham Karimpanal said, “Looking at the performance of the cellular industry over time, we can see that the overall performance was continuously increasing until 2002. However, with the customer base almost doubling from 2002 to 2003, the TR*M Index marginally dropped from 72 to 70 – the service providers need to ‘delight’ the customers a lot more to retain them.”
The cellular circles (in alphabetical order) and the service providers covered in TNS Celltrack Study
S.No
Telecom Circle
Service providers
1 Andhra Pradesh
Hutch, Idea, Bharti, BSNL, Tata Indicom (CDMA) and Reliance Infocom (CDMA)
2 Chennai
Bharti, Hutch, RPG, BSNL, Tata Indicom (CDMA) and Reliance Infocom (CDMA)
3 Delhi
Bharti, Hutch, Idea, MTNL, Tata Indicom (CDMA) and Reliance Infocom (CDMA)
4 Gujarat
Hutch, Idea, Bharti, BSNL, Tata Indicom (CDMA) and Reliance Infocom (CDMA)
5 Karnataka
Hutch, Spice, Bharti, BSNL, Tata Indicom (CDMA) and Reliance Infocom (CDMA)
6 Kerala
BPL, Escotel, BSNL, Bharti and Reliance Infocom (CDMA)
7 Kolkata
Bharti, Hutch, BSNL and Reliance Infocom (CDMA)
8 Madhya Pradesh
Idea, Reliance, Bharti, BSNL and Reliance Infocom (CDMA)
9 Maharashtra
BPL, Idea, Bharti, BSNL, Tata Indicom (CDMA) and Reliance Infocom (CDMA)
10 Mumbai
BPL, Bharti, Hutch/Orange, MTNL, Tata Indicom and Reliance Infocom (CDMA)
11 Punjab
Spice, Bharti, BSNL and Reliance Infocom (CDMA)
12 Tamil Nadu
BPL, Aircel, BSNL, Bharti, Tata Indicom (CDMA) and Reliance Infocom (CDMA)
13 UP – West
Escotel, BSNL, Bharti and Reliance Infocom (CDMA)
Interestingly, in case of the GSM service providers (cellular), customers seem satisfied with the ‘ability to make and receive calls in any part of the city’, however, the service providers have fallen short in meeting customers expectations when it comes to coverage within buildings, in basements or in lifts. The corporate image of the service provider continues to be an important aspect in driving retention and most service providers have been successful in building a positive and favorable image among the subscribers.
The study also revealed that ‘Error free’ and ‘accurate’ bills, being promptly delivered is something that the customers seem to be taking for granted and have little impact on retention. On the contrary, non-delivery on these could cause a lot of disgruntlement and unhappiness with the service provider.
Another revelation was that customers seemed very peeved with the amounts they had to pay for local and STD calls. The cellular industry has performed below average in various aspects related to ‘customer care / helpline’. These include ‘time taken before someone attends to you’, their ‘ability to resolve complaints/ queries in the first instance’, ‘overall time taken to resolve complaints’, call center personnel’s ability to take decisions, ‘knowledge of customer care personnel about tariff plans and schemes’ and ‘the promptness in taking action on complaints’.
While in the case of CDMA subscribers, performance of the network is a key driver for building customer relationships as well. The study said that while subscribers seem satisfied with most aspects of the network, ‘coverage while roaming’ was something subscribers had to grapple with and was leading to discontent. The subscribers of CDMA services have a positive corporate image of their service provider particularly when it comes to ‘a company that is financially strong’ and ‘being a company that is credible and you can trust’.
The efforts made by CDMA operators in lowering ‘entry barriers’ and facilitating the ‘ease of acquisition’, have been acknowledged by the subscribers. However, a big concern for CDMA subscribers was found to be in the area of ‘billings and payments’. Subscribers seem upset with not receiving bills promptly and the bills not being accurate or error free. Also the way CDMA operators remind about dues and giving insufficient notice before debarring service for non-payment of dues was making customers extremely unhappy.
Brands
Dabur buys minority stake in Ras Beauty for Rs 60 crore
Dabur Ventures deal backs fast-growing luxury skincare brand
MUMBAI: Dabur India Limited has dipped into the world of luxury skincare, signing a definitive agreement to acquire a minority stake in Ras Beauty Private Limited for Rs 60 crore. The investment marks the first bet from Dabur Ventures, the FMCG major’s Rs 500 crore platform set up in October 2025 to back high-potential, new-age direct-to-consumer brands.
Founded in Raipur by Shubhika Jain, her sister Suramya Jain and their mother Sangeeta Jain, Ras Beauty has grown from a family-led passion project into a fast-scaling “Farm-to-Face” skincare label. Its range of face elixirs, serums and moisturisers blends essential oils with nature-derived actives, striking a balance between botanical purity and laboratory precision.
The numbers tell their own story. Ras has clocked a three-year Cagr of around 75 per cent and an annual run rate of approximately Rs 100 crore, all while maintaining strong gross margins. That growth has been fuelled by a digital-first approach, in-house R&D and manufacturing, and a sharp focus on clean, sustainable sourcing.
Dabur India executive director and group head corporate strategy Abhinav Dhall, said the company was drawn to Ras’s distinct positioning at the intersection of nature, science and luxury. He added that the premium beauty segment is poised for robust expansion over the coming decade, and that Ras is well placed to capture that opportunity.
For Ras, the partnership is as much about scale as it is about shared philosophy. Co-founder and CEO Shubhika Jain said Dabur’s 141-year legacy of building trusted, purpose-led brands makes it a natural ally. The capital infusion, she noted, will help accelerate the brand’s omnichannel footprint, deepen research capabilities and invest in team and brand building, with an eye on establishing Ras as a leading Indian luxury skincare name both domestically and overseas.
With this move, Dabur is not just investing in a skincare label. It is placing an early wager on India’s growing appetite for premium, conscious beauty, and signalling that heritage FMCG players are ready to play in the new-age D2C arena.
