Career in Telecom Sector

What: If there is one sector in India that is showing tremendous growth as well as potential, it is definitely telecom. Being recognised as one of the most lucrative markets globally, the Indian telecom sector has not only shown signs of profitability but also contributed significantly to the nation’s economy. With over 892 million telecom subscribers, India is the fastest growing and the second-largest telecom market in the world. The future looks tremendously bright for this sector. Telecom, being one of the fastest growing sectors, there is a great demand for skilled and qualified aspirants with a good technical know-how.

On an average, the sector offers fresher’s a starting salary of Rs 300,000 to Rs 500,000 per annum. Customer-facing jobs fetch something between Rs 200,000 and Rs 300,000 per annum. Experienced professionals can expect Rs 600,000 to 1,200,000 per annum.

The opportunities in the Indian communications sector have grown phenomenally over the last three years as has been surveyed by the ministry of communications and information technology in New Delhi recently. Telecom sector is one of the leading contributors to India’s flourishing economy. The telecom services in India have been recognised as a world-class tool for the socio-economic development of India.

How: To pursue a career in the telecom sector, one can pursue telecom engineering or telecom management. There are various degree and certificate level courses for students to pursue in this field to get a head start in the telecom industry. With a booming telecom sector, a career here can be very lucrative. It has attracted a lot of talent in the technical domain to upgrade their skills to become eligible for telecom jobs. There are also immense growth opportunities in this field. And there are jobs for everyone- a degree holder or a diploma holder, a candidate with a part-time certification course or one with a full-time degree. Since the demand for talent is so high, students with suitable qualification can hope to get career break in this field.

With the management and technical competencies taken as a prerequisite for most jobs in the sector, the key to success is an innovative mind and high learning ability .For technical employees an engineering degree in electronics & communication, electrical, computer science may be useful while for management professionals, sales and marketing may still remain to be preferred specialization areas offering higher number of opportunities. India has the world’s second largest mobile phone users with over 903 million as of January 2012. It has the world’s third largest Internet users with over 121 million as of December 2011. India has become the world’s most competitive and one of the fastest growing telecom markets.

Where: When it comes to hiring an engineer, a company looks for a candidate who possesses an engineering degree, preferably a specialisation in electronics and communication from a reputed college. Also, if a candidate possesses work experience with a telecom operator, or active or passive telecom infrastructure company, it adds to his credentials.

Institutions:

• Indian Institute of Telecom Management – New Delhi, Delhi
• Symbiosis University – Pune, Maharashtra