HUTCHISON TELECOM – SERVICING INDIAN CUSTOMERS

This caselet discusses the entry of Hutch into India and its innovative offerings to the Indian customer. It discusses the value added services offered by Hutch to entertain the customers. It also gives an insight on the telecom company’s efforts to differentiate its strategies in light of the cultural diversity in India.
Issues:
» Innovation in cellular services.
» Importance of understanding Indian culture for MNCs.
» Value added services in telecom
Introduction
Hutchison Telecom (HT), one of the world’s leading telecommunications companies and a part of Hutchison Whampoa Limited (HWL), a Hong Kong-based multinational conglomerate operating in 36 countries spread across five continents, established its presence in India way back in 1994 through a joint venture with Hutch Max telecom when it acquired the license for providing cellular services in Mumbai. It launched the service in Mumbai on a GSM 900 network under the brand name Max Touch in 1995. In early 2000, Orange was launched in Mumbai to replace Max Touch. In the same year, Hutchison entered into a joint venture with Essar to expand its presence in the country. Hutchison Essar acquired cellular licenses in Delhi, Kolkata, and the state of Gujarat in 2000 and went on to become one of the largest cellular businesses in the country…

Questions for Discussion:
Hutchison Telecom (HT), a global player, entered the Indian Telecom Industry in 1994 to provide mobile services to the Indian customer. How did Hutch go about designing its service offerings for the Indian customer?
Attracting and convincing the Indian customer to use its services was the major objective of Hutch. How effective were the promotion strategies used by Hutch in achieving this objective?