“The biggest test for me is to build the Winknet brand and make every youth see it as ‘Think Broadband Think Winknet’,” says Kazim. “In the next couple of years, I wish to see Winknet becoming the most preferred brand amongst broadband users.”

According to Kazim, broadband has huge potential in the country and to tap this opportunity, one has to work from the bottom of the pyramid up. Innovative services and applications have to be introduced to attract users, especially in rural areas. In this context, it is important to make the distinction between broadband and the internet. “Mere internet surfing cannot be equated with broadband access,” he points out. “Until people use live applications for improving their economic and social life, the real value of broadband will remain underexplored.”

On future trends in telecom, Kazim says that going forward, telecom operators will only provide services; the lifestyle broadband products space would be dominated by brands like Winknet.

An electronics and telecommunications graduate from Kanpur University and an MBA with specialisation in marketing, Kazim started his career with Continental Devices India Limited, where he was responsible for instrument testing and measurement. During his 10-year association with the company, he worked in diverse areas including sales and marketing. Kazim joined the Bharti Group in 1996 and held various executive positions. He left the company in October 2010 as vice-president and head of B2B sales for Beetel Teletech Limited (a Bharti Enterprise company).

Talking about his most memorable project, Kazim recalls: “In my initial days with Bharti, we did a lot of work in the broadband space. I was thrilled when we successfully launched the first asymmetric digital subscriber line modem.”