Once other operators join Everything Everywhere (EE) and launch their 4G/LTE services in the UK in 2013, their success and the success of other 4G/LTE telecoms providers will very much depend on their ability to retain and motivate existing employees and to attract highly-skilled personnel. 

 UK telecoms providers should be asking themselves this question now –  why waste time and energy attempting to recruit  4G/LTE staff  from the EU  ? where competition for resource is fierce, the resource pool is limited and when in fact large, skilled, low-cost, 4G/LTE resource pools already exist outwith the EU e.g.  on the Indian subcontinent (i.e. India, Pakistan and Bangalore) and in Eastern Europe.

 India – a wealth of 4G/LTE resource opportunities 

India is among the fastest-growing telecoms markets across the world and the second-largest wireless market after China and is expected to have 37m 4G/LTE  users by 2016 (1).  In recent years India has been experiencing heavy investment in its  telecoms industry and its vocational workforce;

•  Global telecoms players such as Huawei have scaled up their Indian operations – in 2012 Huawei invested USD $150m in an R&D centre in Bangalore, the second largest outside China (2).  
• Leading Indian telecoms operator Reliance Industries has been investing more than USD $10bn in its  4G/LTE network requiring setting up tens of thousands of new cell towers  (3).
• India has a skilled, low-cost and educated workforce which has positioned India as a preferred manufacturing, production and outsourcing centre globally. It has the third-largest higher education system in the world after China and the US and is currently investing heavily in vocational training. Recognizing the importance of skills for sustaining the country’s growth momentum, including in the telecoms industry, the Indian government is  introducing programmes for the provision of vocational training to 500 million workers by 2022 (4).

With its vast pool of skilled, low-cost,  English-speaking telecoms talent, India represents a major source of 4G/LTE resource which the UK telecoms industry should be tapping into. 

Eastern Europe – further 4G/LTE resource opportunities 

UK 4G/LTE providers should also be looking  to Eastern Europe to source skilled, low-cost, 4G/LTE staff in  countries such as Romania which are also ahead of the UK with 4G/LTE services e.g. Vodafone and Orange have already launched their 4G/LTE services in 2012. (5)

How can Ten Live help UK  telecoms providers with recruitment  of 4G/LTE staff  from outwith the EU ?  

Ten Live are a global recruitment and resource management solutions provider with a dedicated telecoms resourcing team and many years’ experience of recruiting in the telecoms industry, working with both fixed line and wireless companies in the UK and internationally, with specific experience in the Indian subcontinent.

To find out how out more about how Ten Live can assist with your resourcing and retention requirements,  please contact Joanne Telfer at Ten Live on 01236 702007 or email: joanne@tenlivegroup.com

Or download our complimentary whitepaper on  4G/LTE here ;

 

 

 

(1) http:// www.kpmg.de./docs/mPoweringIndia2011.pdf

(2) http://ibnlive.in.com/news/huawei-eyeing-4g-services-roll-out-in-india/244724-11.html

(3) http://www.indianexpress.com/news/reliance-industries-plans-to-invest—10-bn-on-its-4g-network-vendor/1047663

(4) http:// www.kpmg.de./docs/mPoweringIndia2011.pdf

(5) http://www.zdnet.com/vodafone-and-orange-scramble-to-be-first-to-4g-in-romania-7000006212/