Industry overview
What is shaping telecommunications
Telecom operators compete on network experience, price and service across consumer and enterprise markets. Retail and distribution still matter in a digital-first world.
- Network experience drives churn and loyalty
- Data plans and bundles are compared constantly
- Enterprise connectivity needs consultative selling
Client background
A telecom infrastructure company, working in Maharashtra & Gujarat. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- A telecom infrastructure company
- Sector
- Telecommunications
- Team engaged
- Finance & Accounts
- Services
- MIS & financial reporting, Data analytics & dashboards, Virtual CFO services
Client challenge
Profitability by site was unclear, and energy costs were rising. Diesel generator costs at sites with unreliable grid power were rising quickly, and leases were up for renewal. Energy and rent costs varied widely between tower sites, but management saw only total costs by region.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: cost reporting for a regional telecom infrastructure firm.
- Establish accurate, reconciled numbers management can rely on.
- Put a reporting and compliance rhythm in place that runs on time.
Target audience
Scope: 2,000 sites.
Audiences we typically reach in telecommunications
Mobile and broadband subscribersRetailers and distributorsEnterprise IT buyersChurned customersTower and infrastructure partners
Geographic coverage
Coverage: Maharashtra & Gujarat. Market: India. 2,000 sites covered.
- India
Research methodology
A structured finance engagement: review the current process, set up controls, run the routine and report.
- 1Brief
- 2Site-level costing
- 3Dashboards
- 4Insight
We built site-level cost reports combining rent, energy and maintenance, with dashboards for management. We combined lease, energy and maintenance data from several systems into a site-level cost model, and created dashboards ranking sites by cost per tenant. Site engineers helped validate data where meters or lease records were incomplete.
MIS & financial reportingData analytics & dashboardsVirtual CFO services
Sampling strategy
- Every ledger, entity and transaction stream in scope was covered, with sample-based checks during review.
Data collection
- Source documents, bank statements and ledgers were collected through a secure shared workspace.
Data quality & validation
- Maker-checker review on all entries
- Bank and ledger reconciliations
- Client approval before every filing or report
- Supporting documents kept for every figure
Data analysis
- Variance analysis against budget and prior periods
- Ratio and trend analysis
- Cash-flow view for management
Key findings
- High-cost sites were identified for energy upgrades and renegotiation.
- Management now reviews site-level costs monthly and prioritises upgrades using the data.
Site-level data guided investment decisions.
Recommendations
- Build on the core insight: site-level data guided investment decisions.
- Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: high-cost sites were identified for energy upgrades and renegotiation.
Business impact
- Solar and battery upgrades at the highest-cost sites reduced diesel use, and lease negotiations were supported with clear cost data.
Deliverables & next steps
- Insight report and management presentation
- Interactive dashboard
- Monthly MIS pack and reconciled books
- Compliance calendar and filings
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: how effective is the retail channel?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.