\n\u201cTelecom is a mess in India \u2026 and it seems to come from this concept which have been developed in the past \u2014 the more competition the better,\u201d he said at the Economist India Summit. \u201c\u2026it is difficult to do business in India, that\u2019s the general perception I think of foreign companies and that is not just in telecom,\u201d Pieters said.
\n\u201cThe process for doing business in India can be made much easier, much smoother by just removing a few things,\u201d he stressed. Vodafone is the second largest telecom company in the world.
\nHis sentiment was also shared by Sashi Mukundan, regional president and head of country (India), BP Group, who expressed frustration at the gas price deadlock. \u201cWe have had to hold on to $4 billion of investments due to price uncertainty. We are looking forward to the report on September 30,\u201d he said at a discussion on \u201cWhat business needs: Foreign companies speak.\u201d
\nPieters also blamed the government for hoarding spectrum while investing too little in telecom infrastructure. Spectrum, which is our raw material is limited \u2026 most companies have a quarter of the spectrum that normal operators have in other countries,\u201d he said. Noting that though the industry structure is the government\u2019s responsibility, he said, \u201cI see very little action to take this responsibility.\u201d
\nThe Vodafone India CEO said his company that has been waiting for a clearance from the Authority for Advance Rulings before bringing in funds from the parent company to buy airwaves but the clearance is still awaited.
\n\u201cWe filed an application in December last year but have received no answer till now,\u201d he said, stressing that the government needs to do its job. \u201cI have no answer, I got to know last week that the officer dealing with the file has retired,\u201d he said.
\nPieters also raised the issue of the new Companies\u2019 Act. \u201cWe have very good independent directors. But under the new law, we can\u2019t pay them (beyond a certain level) as we are a loss making company. So what do we do?\u201d
\nHe, however, admitted that it is too early to judge the new government within its first 100 days. \u201cLet\u2019s judge them after 12-18 months,\u201d he said.
\nAddressing the session, Cai Liqun, chief executive officer, Huawei Telecommunications (India) also said that the new government must work hard to motivate the industry.
\nBanmali Agrawala, president and CEO (South Asia), General Electric also agreed and said that the government must restore its credibility and move away from focussing on just one individual.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"