While they make news about the Corus deal, they are failing back home in the telecom sector. They are clearly being identifed as also rans.

Tata’s acquired VSNL assuming that it’s monopoly over the international outgoing calls would remain intact. Unfortunately for them, BJP spoiled their party and allowed in free competition. Tata’s had fought in the court on the same issue and despite impressive line up of lawyers, they failed miserably. They acquired Dishnet and hoped to make a splash in Broadband- they failed in there. They got a fancy highly paid idiot as their CEO and failed in again in the mobile space. As and when it sucks in their revenues big time, they are hurting themselves all over again by trying to get in WiMax space without any clue about the adoption and any standards being finalised. They are bound to fail all over again.

Tata’s stock has been hammered in the stock market over the Corus deal. Evidently, the stock market realises what the yellow page journalists (often paid to chime in “yes sir”!) haven’t seen. Tata’s have inherited the worst of the Brit labour union who would shame the CPI’s of any hue to shame for their rowdy and militant behaviour. While the Corus deal is out of scope for discussion, in my opinion, it is the gravest stupidty possible. If I am not mistaken, Mittal wasn’t at the forefront of acquiring the deal.

If Tata’s really want to make decent profits, they ought to get the highly paid execs replaced with fresh blood and thought. VSNL remains a dead corpse and they can’t even sell it for what all it’s worth it. Instead of making the acquistions of all sorts, they ought to set their own house in order than crow about themselves in the media.

Corporate spying is nothing new. However, its a new thing in Indian Telecom.

Tata’s caught on with Reliance’s mole. From the IBN’s story :

Some of the information allegedly passed on by Indulkar include:
1) A possible broadband cable deal with Egyptian telecom company Orascom

2)Details of a VSNL tender for an African Network

3)The acquisition plan made by VSNL for Sri Lankan operator SunTel

4)Most vitally – information on a court case currently on between VSNL and Reliance Communications company Flag Telecom

He surely is making a lot of news

Interestingly, Reliance has not issued any press statement and is willing to make it’s VP as a scapegoat. Creeps!

I got an email from Vijay Times (Bangalore) who required my permission to publish the write up on Apple iPhone. Well, I did grant them the permission and it remains to be seen as to when they would revert back to me on the same. I really hope that the mainstream media picks up the story on the present Broadband mess.