)
Soon, internet service providers and even social media companies like Google and Facebook will have a strong association to lobby for them. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which currently lobbies for GSM mobile operators, has decided go for fresh membership acquisitions that would be open to all companies operating in the cellular telephony, data services and related industries.
While COAI’s core membership will remain be restricted to the valid licence holders, companies from other industries would be allowed to become associate members. “The idea of getting more core members in COAI came after the Government decided to go Unified Licencing (UL) regime shifting from the multi-licencing structure where companies were given licences according to their service offerings,” COAI director general Rajan Mathews told Business Standard.
COAI was established in 1985 by the first few GSM telcos. At present, it has six core members, and 10 associate members. According to COAI website, companies with valid licence for cellular services in India are eligible to become core members, companies with operations in the related field of cellular telephony or supports functioning, promotion and evolution of cellular telephony would become associate members. So, companies like Google and Facebook could become associate members of the association.
Also, Mathews said, the fee structure is different fro the core members and associate members. The scope for core membership has expanded as even the internet service providers will come under unified licencing regime, and this opens the door for them to become core members of COAI, said Mathews.
The association will also open associate membership for companies that manufacture or supply mobile stations or chip set components used to build mobile stations, infrastructure equipment, system simulators, SIM cards, security systems like smart cards and authentication centers), billing and accounting systems, data clearing house services, financial clearing house services, signaling clearing house services, brokers of roaming facilitation services, or even develops software for the telecom industry.
At present, COAI’s core members include Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Idea Cellular, Aircel, Unitech Wireless (now Telewings Communications), Videocon Communications (now Videocon Telecom). Its associate members include Alcatel-Lucent India, Ascend telecom Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, Cisco Systems India, Ericsson Communications, GTL Infrastructure, Huawei Telecommunications (I), IBM India, Nokia Siemens Networks, Qualcomm India, ZTE India.
New brand identity
COAI, on Friday, said that it has undertaken a makeover of its brand image and identity which includes changing its logo after 18 years, and also the website of the association. The re-branding has been done by creative agency Wood Apple, and COAI has spent about Rs 30 lakh for the whole re-branding exercise, said Mathews.
“The re-branding activity is a part of our effort to be abrest with the changing trends in technology and customer demands. The industry and the association have evolved over the years adapting to the global standards and best practices,” said COAI chairman Himanshu Kapania, who is also the CEO of Idea Cellular.
