Monday, June 11, 2001		Article

Helping you say ‘hello’
Sumesh Raizada

MUCH before Dewang Mehta came into prominence, there was another Indian IT expert, Sam Pitroda, who revolutionised the Indian telecom scenario completely. He helped in restructuring telecom industry that is virtually the foundation of the present multi-billion Indian IT industry. In early nineties, major telephone exchanges were modernised and changed over to automatic computer-aided systems. Reach of telephone got extended to rural and even remote places. It soon became a necessity rather than a luxury. Today, a majority of telephone exchanges have been computerised. Wherever wired telephones are not possible, persons are connected through cellular or mobile phones. Success of the Internet today is primarily due to the excellent infrastructure that has been provided by the telecom industry.

There are a number of experts and professionals who effectively and efficiently manage the telecommunication infrastructure. Telecom engineers are among those involved in the development, installation and maintenance of the telephone exchanges and communication network. They are responsible for design and manufacturing of exchange equipment, development of required programs and maintenance of the hardware as well software being used. Several new exchanges are being set up throughout the country to cater to the growing demand for telephone and related applications. Besides, a number of private firms both Indian as well as multinationals are operating microwave and satellite based wireless communication network. Various telecom service providers are also providing rural telephony based on WLL technique now days. All these have generated sizeable demand for telecom professionals, both in public as well as private sector.

Telecommunication engineers, besides being involved in the regular operation and maintenance of the communication systems, are also engaged in activities like purchasing of equipment, construction of exchange and laying of cables.

Companies, which are designing, also employ them and manufacturing exchange switches, telephone sets, cables and other accessories. Telecom professionals are also in huge demand among software companies where they develop specialised programs for telecommunication — in hardware and component manufacturing companies where they are employed in R&D, production and marketing departments. Number of satellite and microwave service providers hire telecom engineers for the routine operation and maintenance. Government departments like NIC recruit telecom engineers for activities related to research, design, formulating standards and testing of equipment, etc.

Organisations like the railways or airline, having a wide telecommunication network provide employment to telecom professionals for maintaining their systems.

Government and semi-autonomous agencies like BSNL, DoT, MTNL and private operators like Hughes Telecom, Bharati Telecom, Tata Telecom, Reliance, all have opening for engineers. C-DOT, a government agency primarily for R and D in telecommunication, provides career opportunity to those having interest in research and design. Career prospect also exists in ITI, premier public sector organisation with its units spread all over the country. Here these professionals are in the design, development, testing and installation of telecommunication equipment and exchange switches. They also work in the related departments like materials, production and marketing. Besides hardware and ancillary companies, organisation like Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Wipro, TCS, etc are developing or outsourcing software for wired as well as wireless communication.

Those interested in career in telecom need to have at least a diploma in telecommunication, instrumentation, electrical or electronic engineering. However, better prospects are available for the degree holders in above branches. Software engineers, MCA or MBAiites with computer proficiency also have lucrative opportunities in software design, project or marketing. Remuneration earned by the telecom engineers may vary among different organisation, say for software and hardware companies, government and private organisations or even between local and multinationals. Usually, the starting salary ranges around Rs.1.20 lakh per annum and may stretch anywhere to Rs.2 to3 lakh or more especially for telecom software engineers. However earnings of diploma holders are much less.

Though almost all engineering colleges as well as polytechnics offer courses in telecommunication, electronics or software engineering yet there are other organisations also those offers specialised learning on telecommunication. ALTTC (Advanced Level Telecommunication Training Centre) at Ghaziabad is one of such institutions, which conduct regular training programs for practicing professionals on disciplines like digital switching, transmission lines, radio and satellite communication, etc. Here learning is provided on technical, managerial, material and software aspects, not only to Indian but foreign participants also. ALTTC, which has advanced facilities, also develops modular courses related to telecom technology. Courses are also conducted in computer application and network planning. Distance learning courses are also being offered by some organisations in telecommunication however due to specialised and technical contents, these are useful to those who are already in this field.

It is expected that telecom industry shall require a sizeable number of professionals in the coming years. However, other than engineering colleges, there are still not many institutes that may provide education and training exclusively on telecommunication. Keeping this in view, Academy of Telecom Management (ATM) has been recently established in Delhi with technical and financial support from Alcatel India and other organisations from telecom industry (refer:www.learntele.com; www.academytele.com). Eligibility required for getting admission into full time (2 years) and part-time courses are Bachelor in Engineering, post graduation in Physics and mathematics, MBA or MCA. Those having diploma or graduation and having relevant experience in the telecom industry are also eligible for the course. The faculty is from premier management institutes and telecom industry itself.

Midas, a company which has been established in collaboration with analog devices of USA and having technical partnership with IIT, Madras, offers several job positions for telecom professionals. These are available in customer services, installation, projects, software and hardware, etc. Companies like Nuntius India employ wireless and telecom software engineer, quality verification and validation engineer, etc. Bharat Electronic Limited, a public sector organisation offers career opportunities in installation, commissioning and maintenance of satellite receivers and VSAT systems.

Those working as project manager are responsible for planning, scheduling and monitoring of telecom projects and are required to work in close coordination with other team members. A telecom software engineer needs to have sufficient experience in switching technology and network management. They should also be proficient in programming skills and assembly languages. Those in hardware and component manufacturing must be exposed to designing RF products and switches, fibre optic equipment and multiplexers.

Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), a part of Department of Telecom, is an agency involved in setting standards and specifications for telecom equipment in the country. Telecom professionals are employed for task that includes evolution of equipment and services, conducting their field trials and quality audits, exploring new technologies, etc. It has regional centres located at Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, etc. where quality assurance of telecom products and services is carried out before actually putting them in application.

In India, considering its large population and geographical area, there is vast potential for expansion and modernisation of telecommunication network. Telecom industry thus offers lucrative career opportunities in different functional areas, but mainly in the engineering or science related applications. For experienced professionals, growth prospects exist in foreign countries also especially in the field of telecom software development.