Tata Teleservices Limited spearheads the Tata Group’s presence in the telecom sector. The Tata Group includes over 100 companies, over 450,000 employees worldwide and more than 3.8 million shareholders. Incorporated in 1996, Tata Teleservices Limited was the pioneer of the CDMA 1x technology platform in India, embarking on a growth path after the acquisition of Hughes Tele (India) Ltd [renamed Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited] by the Tata Group in 2002. Tata Teleservices Limited also has a significant presence in the 2G GSM space, through its joint venture with NTT DOCOMO of Japan, and offers differentiated products and services. Tata Docomo was born after Tata Group’s strategic alliance with Japanese telecom major NTT DOCOMO in November 2008. One of the key milestones in October 2011 was the brand integration exercise at Tata Teleservices Limited, which saw the Company’s many brands being consolidated under its single flagship brand, Tata Docomo. This helped Tata Teleservices leverage the benefits of brand synergies and capitalize on its vast retail and distribution network, which is the largest amongst all private telecom operators in the country. NTT DOCOMO has played a major role in the evolution of mobile telecommunications through its development of cutting-edge technologies and services. Over the years, technologists at DOCOMO have defined industry benchmarks like 3G technology, as also products and services like i-Mode, e-wallet and a plethora of lifestyle-enhancing applications. Last year itself, while most of the rest of the industry was only beginning to talk of 4G technology and its possible applications, DOCOMO had already concluded conducting 4G trials in physical geographies, not just inside laboratories! Today, Tata Teleservices, along with Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited, has a reach in more than 450,000 towns and villages across the country, with a bouquet of telephony services and solutions for consumers and enterprise. In December 2008, Tata Teleservices announced a unique reverse equity swap strategic agreement between its telecom tower subsidiary, Wireless TT Info-Services Limited, and Quippo Telecom Infrastructure Limited with the combined entity kicking off operations with 18,000 towers, thereby becoming the largest independent entity in this space and with the highest tenancy ratios in the industry. Today, the combined entity which has been re-christened as VIOM Networks has a portfolio of nearly 60,000 towers. The company in the recent past has won many awards. Tata Teleservices was named The Best Emerging Markets Carrier by Telecom Asia, and received 8 awards at the World HRD Conference, including 5th Best Employer in India. The company also received 3 awards at the Telecom Operator Awards 2010 from tele; Best Company, CEO of the Year and Best Quality of Service, and Business Standard award for 'Most Innovative Brand of the Year'. Tata Docomo was recently recognized as the best “Utility VAS Service Provider” and “Best Mobile Broadband Service Provider” for the year 2012 by Frost & Sullivan.