A part of the SAR Group, Wynn Telecom Limited (WTL) offers mobile handsets for Indian users. The company’s product portfolio comprises three broad categories – utility-based handsets, youth-centric offerings and upgraded mobile hand-helds.

The handset player operates in the Indian and Chinese handset markets. It aims to become a leading brand in wireless hand-held devices in India by 2012 and in other emerging markets (excluding China) by 2015.

With a pan-Indian retail network comprising over 400 distributors and 25,000 retail counters, WTL was quick to recognise the potential of telecom as a strategic business tool. The aim was to create a value chain encompassing everyone involved in the production process.

tele.net takes a look at the company’s telecom-related initiatives so far...

Communications infrastructure

Telecom infrastructure has played an important role in WTL’s business since it began operations. “We launched our products in May 2010. Since then, an all-encompassing information technology (IT) and telecom system has been in place with every necessary component on the software and hardware side. Our top management was very clear that the launch of the products had to be supported by a robust online system,” says Anil Khanna, head, IT.

As a first step, the company deployed a SAP system and a customer relationship management (CRM) application. Several other technologies have been deployed since. WTL currently has one leased line of 3 Mbps capacity along with a 1 Mbps back-up leased line. According to Khanna, this set-up offers WTL always-on connectivity, which supports bandwidth-hungry applications. At the same time, being a cost-effective connectivity option, it helps the company trim overheads. Moreover, this medium has enabled the company to choose from a large variety of bandwidths and to customise its broadband package.

In addition, the handset major has utilised the internet as a strategic tool. Its website promotes all its products currently on offer, thereby reaching out to a wider audience both in India and abroad. Besides, customers can view upcoming models and avail of value additions such as wallpapers, ringtones and handset software.

For connectivity purposes, WTL uses a DSL (digital subscriber line). All its distributors use CRM, and billing and inventory-related activities are carried out through the SAP application.

Besides, SAP and CRM applications are also being used at WTL’s data centre. The centre performs several functions such as ensuring server uptime, data recovery and power back-up, storage management, hardware and network operations, and support for operations and the end-user. For security, a firewall has been installed at both the premises and the data centre. Further, the company has implemented various policies for internet connectivity. For instance, it  uses the “application roles and permissions” policy that governs access to and use of the internet. Currently, over 600 employees have access to the company’s communications network.

Challenges and benefits

The company encountered a few challenges while implementing its communications infrastructure. Fine-tuning processes to support enterprise applications as well as implementing new software was challenging. The company also faced some resistance from users.

That said, it derived multiple benefits from its robust and flexible communications infrastructure. “With the current set-up, our billing and inventory takes place online. Besides, our distributors are able to view their inventory and financial statements online. This has reduced the communication gap and redundancy of data, and given the management a realistic picture of our business,” points out Khanna.

Going forward, WTL plans to focus more on data security and to ensure that the software is more user friendly. Streamlining the network is also a priority.

All in all, by installing a modern IT and telecom infrastructure, the company has been able to cut communication costs and enhance its overall productivity and efficiency.