TELECOMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANTS INDIA LIMITED (TCIL)

TELECOMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANTS INDIA LIMITED (TCIL): A GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ENTERPRISE AND A PRIME ENGINEERING AND CONSULTANCY COMPANY

The recently concluded India Mobile Congress 2019 is a befitting testimony to the importance of telecommunications worldwide and especially in developing countries. Hon’ble Prime Minister Modi’s message which was read out at the inaugural of the India Mobile Congress 2019,  clearly identified the role of  Telecommunications.

“Telecommunications is key to social as well as economic activities and the present era is of innovation. Communications hold a key to any field of socio-economic activity. Technology-enabled tools are virtually enabling the pace of communications.”

Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL), a stalwart in the field of telecommunications since 1978, is a wholly-owned Government of India Enterprise under the administrative control of the Department of Telecommunications (DOT), Ministry of Communications, Government of India.

Business Connect in a conversation with the Chairman and MD of TCIL, Rajiv Gupta has covered some essential highlights of the Company.

Please walk through your company profile and its offerings

Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd. (TCIL) is a certified Mini Ratna PSU (Public Sector Undertaking) and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ministry of Communications, Govt. of India. TCIL’s core business is to provide consultancy, implementation services, and turnkey project execution services in the field of Telecommunications, Information Technology, Civil & Architecture, Skill Development, and New Initiatives.

Established in 1978, TCIL is an ISO 9001: 2015 certified, profit-making Indian Multinational Company that has been winning prestigious projects worldwide. The company is a torchbearer of the great Indian Telecom Innovation, introducing new technologies in Telecom software, switching and transmission systems, cellular services, rural telecommunications, optical fiber-based backbone transmission systems and others.

TCIL has on-going projects in more than 65 countries across the globe. Most of its projects are large turnkey projects for country governments, ministries, public sector undertakings and private organizations. TCIL today has a global presence with multi-segment projects in India, South Asia, Far East, Middle East, Africa, Europe and the USA. Its strength lies in its adaptability with the rapidly changing world of technology.

As one of the leading PSUs in the Ministry of Communications, Govt. of India, TCIL prides itself on its efficient management of projects, which has resulted in building a turnover of INR 1622.22 cr. TCIL continues to remain committed to achieving the vision of ‘Digital India’ and ‘Connecting the Unconnected’ across India and in our partner countries.

How have you adapted yourself to the latest needs of the market?

TCIL started its journey in 1978 with an initial focus on telecommunications consultancy. It then diversified into other areas like Civil & Architecture and IT, where it now maintains a strong position.

TCIL has been a part of the government’s major initiatives and projects such as:

1. Wi-Fi Hotspots Project: TCIL is setting up over 12000 Wi-Fi hotspots at Rural Telephone Exchanges of BSNL. This entire project worth Rs. 942 crores marks the migration of the general public into digital citizenry providing them access to internet services for banking, agriculture, e-governance, healthcare etc.TCIL has also been awarded as the ‘Best Wi-Fi System Integrator’ for its work in the landmark project.
2. Andaman and Nicobar Islands Connectivity: TCIL has been instituted as a Technical Consultant by the Department of Telecommunications for its prestigious project of connecting the Andaman & Nicobar islands with the rest of India through Chennai. TCIL is preparing its Detailed Project Report involving the identification of the submarine cable route, estimating the CAPEX & OPEX, designing the network architecture and system dimensioning. TCIL’s role has been instrumental in undertaking certain distinctive activities for this project. It carried out a detailed study of the sea bed for ascertaining the cable route whilst also seeking environmental clearance for the project from the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF). Additionally, TCIL shall be also supervising the execution of the project as an Independent Monitoring Agency (IMA) on behalf of USOF (DoT).
3. REC Headquarters: Another feather in TCIL’s cap is the construction of a first-of-its-kind REC World Headquarter Building at Gurgaon. The REC (Rural Electrification Corporation) building has been designed in compliance with GRIHA-5 star ratings to reduce carbon footprint. It is equipped with Access Controlled Lighting Management System and also provides for 100% solid waste management and rainwater harvesting system.

TCIL in the coming few years will also be working towards transitioning from hardware-centric systems to software-centric systems, enabling virtualization, automation, and machine learning.

Tell us something about your staff. How do you ensure their efficiency and positivity towards work in challenging times?

Valuing human resources as the core driver of any business and ensuring their suitable and meritorious recognition holds the potential to act as a catapult for the firm.  With TCIL operating in a sector that witnesses emerging technologies at the break of every dawn, we make sure of providing relevant training to our staff for their consistent skill up-gradation. However, training is only an enabler and a small part of the bigger picture. To be truly motivated, one has to work with innate passion, commitment, and strong perseverance.

What is the mission and vision of TCIL?

TCIL’s consistent growth has been a reflection of its coherent mission and vision statement.

TCIL’s vision is to excel and maintain leadership in providing optimal solutions on turnkey basis in Telecommunications and Information Technology Service sectors globally and to diversify by providing excellent infrastructure facilities, particularly in the high-tech areas.

Its mission is to excel in providing solutions in Information and Communication Technology, Power and Infrastructure Sectors globally by anticipating opportunities in technology.

Are you planning to establish the company as a global brand? How are you going to do that?

TCIL is already a global brand. We began working with overseas partners long back in 1981 starting with Nigeria in Africa. During the same time, we set up our first office in the UAE to venture into the Middle East. Today, TCIL has partnered with country governments and a wide range of ministries in more than 65 countries across the globe, sharing India’s astounding telecom prowess with the world.

TCIL quickly earned the epithet of a ‘preferred partner’ for large govt. projects in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, the UAE, and others. TCIL Kuwait Branch has been a major contractor of the Ministry of Communications, Kuwait since 1978 for Construction and Maintenance of Telecommunications Networks.

TCIL has recently marked its presence in the Balkan and CLMV countries. On clearance by the Union Cabinet, Government of India, TCIL has also set up a 100% owned ‘C’ Corporation in the USA. Continuous strengthening of strategic alliances has been part of TCIL’s global strategy.

What are your contributions to CSR activities?

TCIL is a socially, economically and environmentally responsible organization ensuring that all business operations are carried out sustainably. The company is constantly putting efforts towards empowering communities, enabling inclusive socio-economic growth, environment protection, development of underprivileged sections of the society and promotion of sustainable technologies.

1. School Education and Healthcare TCIL allocated Rs. 55.52 lakhs towards the Supply and Installation of smart classroom equipment and drinking water equipment in aspirational districts as per directions from the Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of HRD, GOI.
2. Skill development through Telecom Sector Skill Council TCIL, in association with Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC), is engaged in skill development training for the telecom sector in the state of Madhya Pradesh. This is in line with the MOU signed between DoT and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to develop and implement a National Action Plan for Skill Development in the sector. This program has been launched with the objective of fulfilling the skilling needs of the sector while creating opportunities for the youth. TCIL has disbursed Rs.18.82 lakhs towards the project in FY 2018-19.
3. Contribution towards Swachh Bharat Kosh & Clean Ganga Mission TCIL has made a direct contribution of Rs.3.63 lakhs towards Swachh Bharat Kosh & Clean Ganga Mission covered under item-I (improving sanitation) and item-V (improving sanitation) of the Schedule VII of the Companies Act respectively.
4. Funding to Start-ups TCIL, in line with Government’s focus to the Indian startup industry, funded a startup M/s Lab to Market Innovations Pvt. Ltd. with an amount of Rs.8.85 lakhs. Lab to Market Innovations is a disruptive start-up in the railway’s sector and is currently being incubated by the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Mention a couple of your favorite books/ novels that have taught you the intricacies of the business.

‘Turn the Ship Around!’ by L. David Marquet is my all-time favorite book which talks about how the Santa Fe Fleet of the US Navy was turned around from being the worst to the first by changing the leadership strategy. The payoff is striking – Leadership should mean giving control rather than taking control, and creating leaders rather than forging followers.

‘The Effective Executive’ by Peter F. Drucker is my all-time go-to book and I am glad that it is also a favorite book of Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon.

Currently, I am reading a book by TV Rao titled “Managers who make a difference.” Other than this I also read a lot of DIY books and literature both in Hindi and English.

What are the milestones of the Company?

1978-1983

• Paid-up capital tripled in 1982-83
• Completion of large transmission projects in Iraq, Lebanon, and Kuwait
• Increase in Consultancy projects to many Indian PSUs
• First office in the Middle East in the UAE

1983-1988

• Expanded operations to 9 more countries including KSA
• Entered into two major joint ventures – ICSIL (1987) and TTL (1988)
• Awarded major KSA projects of net value Rs. 1045 million
• Issued 1:1 bonus shares for the first time to GoI

1988-1993

• Entry into 7 new countries including Mauritius, Syria, Netherlands and Botswana
• First-ever MOU signed with the Ministry of Communications
• Formation of two major joint venture companies- TCIL Bell South Ltd. (TBL) and Orange Telecom Service (OTS)
• Successful completion of optical fibre projects in seven countries

1993-1998

• Company’s CRISIL credit rating goes up from ‘AA+’ to ‘AAA’
• Orders booked worth over Rs. 2500 crore
• Signed MOU with VSNL
• Formation of new joint ventures – TCIL Saudi Co. Ltd. and Hexacom India Ltd.
• Awarded ISO-9001 quality certification

1998-2003

• Awarded the Miniratna Category-I status
• Upgraded from schedule “B” to schedule “A” status
• Started operations in 13 new countries – Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Nepal, Togo, Algeria, Swaziland, Uzbekistan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Congo, Sierra Leone & East Timor
• Entered into a new Joint Venture – United Telecom Ltd. in Nepal • Orders Booked worth over Rs. 3200 crore

2003-2008

• Creation of landmark network covering the African continent for providing telemedicine and tele-education facilities
• Commenced civil and road construction projects
• Initiated e-governance projects in different states of India
• Started construction for Sudan electronic city for building a cyber-park in Algeria

2008-2014

• Received OHSAS Certification ISO 14001: 2015 18001: 2007
• Focus on new technologies – set up of the E-procurement portal
• Won Network Project Contract with Indian Defence Services for optical fibre communication

2014-2019

• Awarded the PAN African e-network Phase-2 (EVBAB)
• Cabinet approves the formation of TCIL subsidiary in USA
• TCIL starts operations in Seattle USA
• Initiated Digital Village Project for CLMV countries
• Branch office set up in Republic of North Macedonia
• Execution of T-fibre projects in Telangana & OFC project in Andhra Pradesh

Lastly, what message would you like to give to the readers of the Business Connect magazine? Strong organizations or partnerships are not built in a day and are not built by a single person or a single department. The only way an organization can progress is by standing united. Each employee is doing his or her duty to the best of his or her capability, and above all everyone working as one team towards the desired goals.

I am personally a believer of: “Coming together is a beginning, Keeping together is progress, Working together is Success” Edward Everett Hale

Please mention the awards and recognition you are accredited with.

• Best Wi-Fi System Integrator 2019 by DigiAnalysys
• Digitally Empowered PSU 2019 by VARINDIA
• Gold Excellence Award for Facility and Maintenance (2019)
• Excellent Global Telecom Service Provider 2019 (13th CMAI ICT World Communication Summit & Awards)
• Gold Excellence Award for Facility and Maintenance (2018)
• CMAI Awarded TCIL for Excellent ICT initiatives for Tele-education and Tele-health 2017
• SKOCH Order of Merit BSE 2017 for Sierratel Infrastructure and Modernization (SIM) Project
• Gold Excellence Award for Leadership (2017)
• PSE Excellence Award for Excellence in Human Resource Management 2016
• India Pride Award 2016 for Excellence in India Image Enhancement awarded by Dainik Bhaskar and many more…..