Founder Thesis Masterclass: Disrupting Indian Telecom | Vivek Raina (Excitel Broadband)
"In India, 35% of all Indian cities are fully planned, but 75% is all on its own... that's not where 70% live. 70% of urban is in those areas, which have all on their own lanes and by lanes."
This powerful insight from Vivek Raina highlights the vast, often overlooked market that Excitel Broadband chose to serve. Instead of focusing only on the structured, planned parts of cities, Excitel ventured into the densely populated but underserved areas, bringing high-speed internet to the masses.
Vivek Raina is the Co-founder and CEO of Excitel Broadband. With over 22 years in the telecom industry, he has spearheaded Excitel's growth to over 1 million subscribers by its seventh year of operation. He is driving Excitel's mission to connect more of "BHARAT" by providing affordable, high-speed, and truly unlimited internet.
Key Insights from the Conversation:
- Untapped Potential in Unstructured India: A significant portion of urban India resides in unplanned areas, a market largely unaddressed by major telecom players, which Excitel strategically targeted.
- Broadband as Entertainment, Not Just Utility: Excitel shifted the perception of broadband from a mere productivity tool to a primary source of entertainment by offering high speeds and no data caps, enabling seamless video consumption.
- The "Uberization of Broadband": Excitel's innovative asset-light model involves partnering with thousands of local cable operators for last-mile fiber deployment, enabling rapid scaling and capital efficiency.
- Hyperlocal Focus is Key: Customer acquisition in the broadband business, especially in diverse Indian markets, relies heavily on hyperlocal strategies, including feet-on-street sales and targeted local marketing, rather than mass media campaigns.
Chapters:
- 00:00 Video Introduction and Initial Context
- 01:26 Viv's Background in Broadband Technology
- 01:50 The Evolution of Broadband Technology
- 03:47 Introduction of Fiber to Home in India
- 06:41 The Origin Story of Excitel
- 11:52 Excitel's Unique Approach to the Market
- 15:58 Excitel's Funding and Early Growth Phases
- 18:58 Internet Supply Chain and Cost Structure Insights
- 25:17 Excitel's Expansion and Market Positioning
- 30:15 Competition and Future Plans for Excitel