Hello, this is... | Is the telecom sector the big winner in the COVID-19 outbreak?

A steep rise in ‘work from home’ is bound to give telecom ARPUs a shot in the arm, making the sector among the very few Covid-proof industries. From zoom conferences to news updates on social media and OTT-based entertainment content being consumed more rapidly than ever – the mobile phone, riding high on internet connectivity, has been a steady partner to an isolated, socially distanced population. How did cellular operators manage the heavy flow of internet traffic and keep their operations going in a locked down nation? How much better would we have been with 5G? Is there relief in sight now for pre-paid mobile users to recharge at retail stores with a partial unlocking of essential services? Rajan S Mathews, Director General, Cellular Operators Association of India talks about all this as well as the impact of the Facebook-Jio partnership on kirana stores, on this incisive podcast hosted by Network 18’s Kartik Malhotra.