LETTER TO SHAREOWNERS
Dear Shareholders,
Last two years saw the telecom sector in India, going through tough times, with several
issues plaguing the sector, post the cancellation of 122 2G licenses by the Supreme Court
of India. The trouble in the telecom sector also coincided with a decelerating economy,
and volatility in the rupee movement, which made the business environment very
challenging.
Our business is heavily dependent on the growth and developments envisaged in Telecom
and Power sectors. Over the past one year developments in these two sectors, have been far
from encouraging thereby having a negative impact on the performance of GTL in FY 2012-13.
Discussed below are some of the major challenges faced:
Telecom Sector
2G Scam and resultant cancellation of 122 2G Licenses has led to exit of certain
telecom players and also affected the roll out and growth plans of several other telecom
operators
Failed spectrum auctions have led to capacity constraints in expansion and
litigations
Slower growth of 3G and BWA networks have reduced the opportunities for network
service providers like GTL
International investors interest in the telecom sector has diminished, resulting
into lower FDI inflows into the sector
Banks are not keen to increase exposure to Telecom Sector as they already have
huge exposure
Lack of clarity on M&A guidelines is hampering the consolidation in the
sector and
Capex of telecom operators for building new infrastructure is low
Power Sector
Securing fuel for the power plants has been a major concern among the generating
companies
The ability of the Distribution companies to focus on expansion and improving
the infrastructure is constrained with the huge losses due to economic downturn and the
subsequent restructuring of the Distribution companies is yet to be completed
Delayed tariff revisions have caused pressure on margins in the distribution
sector, thereby delaying the recovery of investments made in power generation and
distribution and
Weak financials of state managed electricity boards are impacting Power sector
The weakness in global markets and the Indian telecom companies has prevented us from
monetizing our investments in tower companies and use the proceeds from the same to reduce
our debt.
Even, in the power franchisee business, the input costs of power and operational costs
have gone up and these are not being passed on to the end consumer. The situation may
improve with the increase in tariffs and legislation to curb losses.
We had informed you about the likely negative scenario last year and as expected it had
negative impact, both on our revenue and profitability.
Business Overview & Outlook
The Financial snapshot of the year, is as follows:
On a consolidated basis,
Revenues of Rs. 2,601.32 Cr. (US$ 478.99 Mn.)
PBDIT of Rs. 188.82 Cr. (US$ 34.77 Mn.)
PAT of Rs. (554.77) Cr. (US$ 102.15 Mn.)
Order visibility as on March 31, 2013 stood at Rs. 2,650.OO Cr. (US$
487.95 Mn.)
*(US$ 1 = Rs. 54.31 as on March 31, 2013)
Corporate Debt Restructuring (CDR)
The Company has completed the process of restructuring its debts from domestic lenders
and is in the process of restructuring its loans in the form of ECB and NCDs.
New Growth Opportunities
Even though our economy is going through a very difficult phase, we believe in the
potential of the telecom and power sector, and our capability to address them. We are sure
that with the capable management team, the Company will continue to focus on overcoming
the challenges and creating new opportunities for growth. We, however, believe that it
could take 3 to 4 years for new opportunities to emerge.
Extending Network Deployment Capabilities in Power Sector
Our know how of implementation and maintenance of large telecom networks has been
extended to power sector. Power sector represents a huge opportunity in Power Generation,
Transmission and Distribution, though it too, has challenges across several areas.
Power Management Business
We are distributing power to Aurangabad Urban Circle (I & II) on behalf of the
local distribution company and are responsible for distribution of electricity to both
industrial and residential units from the grid. We are increasing the efficiency in
distribution of electricity by cutting down Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C)
losses.
We believe we can develop similar businesses for additional new regions/ areas in the
near future as Government and State Electricity Boards accelerate their efforts to
privatise Power Distribution.
We are successfully completing the Automated Meter Reading Infrastructure for our HT
customers and have invested in capex to improve the distribution infrastructure. We are
also looking at other initiatives like Distribution Automation, modernizing the
infrastructure etc. that will further minimize the AT&C losses. We are making efforts
to minimize the losses incurred on account of leakage and theft of power.
Key Challenges
Increasing Recurring Revenue
Our Power Distribution Franchisee business along with Energy Management business
for telecom operators has helped us build a business model that has recurring revenue. We
are now focusing on winning similar business that shall add recurring revenues. Out of the
current consolidated revenue of Rs. 2,601.32 Cr. the recurring revenue is approximately
Rs. 2,125 Cr. and is likely to go up moving forward.
Introduce new services
Globally the telecom sector is likely to witness growth in data services over the next
few years. This growth is likely to ride on implementation of LTE networks. GTL has begun
offering new services like Remote Network Management, Benchmarking the networks, Network
Design in the LTE space etc. to our customers in the advanced markets. As the Network
evolves in the other markets, similar services can be offered in other regions over the
period of three to four years.
Focus on Cost
Looking at the external environment, the Company has already initiated several measures
across admin, procurement, transportation, energy etc. that would bring down the
administration and wage costs. The Company will also continuously monitor the cost
structures and would take suitable action as and when required.
Monetizing our Investments
Although currently both the capital markets and telecom sector in India are going
through a rough phase, we believe we can monetize our investments in telecom tower sector
over a period of 3-5 years and to reduce our debt.
People
Restructuring of our business in Indian market required churning of skill set of
employees. As a result, our employees and contracted associates reduced from 8,710 to
6,384 as on March 31, 2013.
Our employees continue to contribute to the cost saving efforts by taking a salary cut
ranging from 10-20% and have foregone several other benefits. I for myself have been
taking a token salary of Rs. 1 per month till current year.
Corporate Social Responsibility
We have focused our attention on areas like imparting education to the underprivileged
children and providing employment opportunities to women and physically challenged people.
Our employees are helping our progress not only in terms of business but also by its
impact on the community by volunteering their free time. Our efforts in Energy Management
will also help in reducing the carbon footprint of the telecom industry in the coming
years.
Conclusion
The past year had been a very difficult year and our focus is now to stabilize and grow
the business. It would be our endeavor to bring in efficiency in telecom networks and
power distribution, being environment friendly and creating employment in rural India.
New policy initiatives like the 100% FDI in telecom, rollout of 3G and 4G/ BWA networks
should ease out the business environment and return the growth to the telecom and power
industries. However, we believe this could take sometime.
For all that our Company has accomplished over the years, we would like to thank all
our stakeholders, customers, financial institutions, partners and employees for their
unwavering interest and support and look forward for the same in future.
Place: Mumbai |
Manoj G. Tirodkar |
Date: August 3, 2013 |
Chairman & Managing Director |