Did well in the private sector, giving it a SDH customer base even unmatched by ITI.

To say this company owes its success to ITI, a majority stake holder, is basically competition speak and true to only the extent that it enjoys the confidence of the monolith telecom Indian major and a small amount for OEM activity. If Tellabs-ITI JV, Fibcom India Ltd, has been able to capture up to 33 percent of the entire SDH equipment sales in this country, it is due to its untiring tryst with large telecom companies and its focus to have a state-of-the-art local manufacturing setup that can provide both price and support advantages.

Set up in 1994, Fibcom has come a long way to become the top transmission equipment vendor in the country in terms of customer base and No. 5 in this years’ ‘Networking Masters’ top networking principals’ list. In addition to enjoying almost 85 percent market share of the BSNL market, it now has made a mark in the private sector as well. In 2000-01, out of Rs 154.1 crore, Rs 12 crore came from the private sector; next year the company expects to get at least a business of Rs 60-70 crore from the private sector.

Fibcom has been able to sustain its business right under the noses of the global market leaders. Its indigenous manufacturing factor puts Fibcom on the higher pedestal, believe its executives. One, it provides a cost advantage due to lower duties on components as opposed to finished products. And two, local manufacturing gives it logistic advantages.

Fibcom is well entrenched to take advantage of the mushrooming optical networks in the country. Already, it is ready with a DWDM offering, which is undergoing field trials in BSNL’s network. However, it will face tough competition from global DWDM majors like Alcatel, Lucent, Nortel etc. and new ones like Cisco and Sycamore. Though already a market leader, the challenge this year will be intense and really test its mettle.