Today, Uninor flipped the switch on its network to launch in 7 circles simultaneously - Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, UP East, UP West, Bihar and Jharkhand. It covers a national footprint of 600 million people. The GSM service, which has spectrum for launching in 21 of 22 circles, expects its next phase of circles for Uninor to go live early in 2010. As we had reported earlier, Uninor is taking the hub and spoke model for its launch. The company is targeting 8% marketshare by 2018, and EBITDA break-even in 3 years, and operating cashflow break-even in 5 years. Telenor CEO & President Jon Fredrik Baksaas said, "This is the fastest rollout we have ever done, because the business model has become standardized. We are here to stay for a long time, and there is no reason why India should lag in mobile density in Asia, and we hope to contribute. In Telenor, we know that increased telecom density spurs economic development." Uninor doesn't intend to bid for either the 3G or broadband wireless access spectrum, expected to be auctioned in January 2010. The Brand: Ab Mera Number Hain The tagline for Uninor's service in India is "Ab Mera Number Hain", literally, that "it is my number/time". While it intends to be aspirational, we think, tongue-in-cheek, that it refers to the large number of new telecom operators that have launched in India: that it is now Uninors turn. Of course, Uninor brand believes that its tagline reflects individuality and youthfulness. Uninor has 210,000…
