Videocon eyes pan-India mobile biz in phases

New Delhi (PTI): Videocon Mobile Services, which has permits to operate in seven circles out of the country's total 22 circles, has plans to expand services pan-India in a phased manner.A "Videocon had been a national player and had dominance in the market place. However, it lost momentum post the 2G licence cancellation. We plan to have a national presence again, however, in a phased manner," Videocon Mobile Services CEO and director Arvind Bali said. Videocon's 21 licences were among the 122 permits quashed by the Supreme Court order on February 2, last year. It had acquired permits to operate across all circles in 2008. The company, which recently won spectrum in six circles for Rs 2,221.44 crore, operates in four circles -- Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat -- at present. It aims to add about six million subscribers in 2013-14. Bali said the company's immediate priority was to roll out services in three other circles -- Bihar, UP East and UP West. "As a strategy, we shall look at picking selective licences, say a corridor, and roll-out, and instead of bidding for all circles in one go, we shall look at combination of circles that form a corridor, for example South corridor could be our next opportunity area," Bali added. He said the timeline for expansion will depend on the timing for spectrum auction and the manner in which government decides to allocate spectrum as well.