Excitel CEO Vivek Raina on Southern Cities Drive Growth with Rising Regional Content Demand

In an exclusive interview with The Hans India, Vivek Raina, CEO and Co-Founder of Excitel, highlights that the broadband company has built a strong presence in Hyderabad, where growing demand for regional OTT content is driving significant momentum. As part of its strategic growth plan, the company is actively focusing on deepening its reach in other major southern cities. Mr Vivek positions Hyderabad as a key hub for South India and shares insights on the company’s approach to overcoming intense market competition. He also outlines Excitel's unique value proposition compared to other telecom providers, along with its ambitious plans to expand fiber infrastructure across these critical regions.

Vivek Raina,Co-Founder and CEO of Excitel Broadband

About Excitel Excitel is India’s leading and fastest-growing broadband network and is the preferred streaming platform for 10,00,000 customers in 50+ cities. Since its inception in September 2015, Excitel has been revolutionizing broadband services and leading the adoption of fiber-to-home networks in India. Excitel was also the first internet service provider to introduce the concept of truly unlimited data plans allowing consumers to access unlimited data at the promised speed without any conditions. Ookla and the Open Signal have recognized Excitel as one of India's fastest and best-rated broadband networks. According to TRAI, the company is also among the Top 3 ISPs in India.

What are Excitel’s growth plans for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana?

Excitel is committed to bringing reliable, world-class high-speed Fiber to home broadband to as many homes as possible, and Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are key parts of our vision. With Hyderabad as our primary hub for the South India, we’re already serving over 100,000 fibre users in the city, besides Hyderabad we have sizable number of users in towns like Khammam, Nizamabad, and Nalgonda in Telangana, and Vijayawada, Guntur, and Vizag in Andhra Pradesh. We’re proud to see how our fibre-to-home service is already improving access to fast, affordable internet in these communities.

Now, we’re looking to deepen our reach. The focus isn’t just on expanding within major cities but also extending to smaller towns and Taluka areas nearby. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have a high level of digital literacy and demand, and we’re here to meet that with quality connectivity that’s within reach for everyone. We aim to make high-speed fibre internet a standard, affordable resource in households across the region, regardless of geography or background. Ultimately, our approach is about bridging digital divides and supporting the growth in the city. We believe that this strong connectivity empowers individuals, lifts local businesses, and contributes to the broader economic progress of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Given established competition in these markets from providers like Jio, BSNL, and Airtel with larger user bases, how does Excitel plan to differentiate and compete effectively?

If you look at the scenario, most providers in India offer around 30 Mbps speed in the INR 500 range, which may be sufficient for basic browsing but does not provide the truly immersive, high-quality internet experience that today’s users expect. In contrast, at Excitel, we believe that even at this price point, users deserve a world-class connection, which is why we want to offer best-in-class services at a price point of around 500 rupees. Our most popular package—200 Mbps for around INR 435 per month gives families and individuals alike the bandwidth to comfortably stream 4K content, work from home, and use bandwidth-intensive applications without buffering.

Another key differentiator is our unique business model, which supports local entrepreneurship. Instead of operating purely as a large, remote brand, we partner with local channel partners, many of whom have been traditional cable operators. With the decline of cable TV, they need new avenues to sustain their businesses, and Excitel provides that opportunity. No other brand in this space invests in the success of local operators in the way we do. Our approach doesn’t just bring world-class broadband to underserved areas; it boosts the local economy by enabling these partners to thrive in the digital age.

We are determined to stay ahead of these trends and ensure that our users in regions like Telangana, Andhra, and beyond experience the same high-quality, affordable internet as those in metros like Hyderabad, Bangalore, or Delhi. In short, our strategy is built on two pillars: delivering exceptional speed at a price that’s accessible to the masses and empowering local entrepreneurs to be a part of the digital transformation.

With high network densities in these regions, cable cuts or outages due to repairs are common. How does Excitel manage these challenges in terms of service reliability and cost efficiency?

Absolutely, cable cuts are a challenge, especially in densely networked areas, but we’ve designed our model to handle this with speed and efficiency. Our local partners own and manage the last-mile fibre from their office to the customer’s home, which is a unique approach in this industry. They live nearby, so if there’s a cable cut, they’re able to fix it quickly—often much faster than a telecom employee commuting from a distant office.

To enable both Excitel Backend and core network teams, besides partner-led last mile teams, to do their jobs efficiently and without fail, we have built a big suite of IT systems for network monitoring and rectification, which ensures our SLAs remain the best in the industry.

This enables us to provide a four-hour SLA guarantee: if an issue isn’t resolved within four hours, we credit the customer with a free day. This model keeps our service reliable, minimizes downtime, and enhances customer trust, all while reducing costs through localized ownership.

As data consumption patterns evolve, what shifts are you observing among users, and how is Excitel adapting to meet these changing demands?

Data usage is climbing rapidly, and we’re seeing no slowdown—if anything, it surged during COVID-19 and has kept rising. Today, the average Excitel user consumes around 30 GB per day, far beyond the 2-3 GB daily cap typical for mobile data plans. This demand will only grow as applications and content become more data-intensive.

To meet this shift, we’ve invested in a resilient fibre-to-the-home network. This approach is crucial for delivering the high speeds and reliability that modern users expect, especially with video-driven activities leading to data consumption. From OTT streaming to YouTube and video conferencing for work or school, the need for seamless video is at an all-time high. By bringing fibre directly to user's homes, we ensure they get the capacity and quality to enjoy these experiences without interruption.

What are Excitel’s expansion plans for fibre infrastructure, and what level of investment do you anticipate supporting these developments?

Our focus is strong on expanding across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, especially as we see rising demand in not only major cities like Hyderabad and Vizag but also in smaller towns like Vijayawada, Guntur, and Golconda. We’re committed to providing world-class fibre service across these areas, including B and C-class towns, where digital access is increasingly critical.

In terms of fibre infrastructure, we’ve already laid around 6,000-7,000 kilometres of fibre. Over the next two to two-and-a-half years, we’re planning to double this reach. This expansion will require an investment of around 60-70 crores, with Excitel funding 60% of the project and our local partners covering the remaining 40%. By extending fibre connectivity deeper into these regions, we’re set on making high-speed internet accessible for communities throughout the states.