Brand promise

But in this also lies the biggest challenge for the company. The brand promise of magic is pretty serious -- the company needs to offer something new all the time to its customers. "It's like riding a tiger; the moment you get off, it will devour you," says a rival who does not wish to be quoted.

Kohli and his team are aware that delivery needs to match brand promise. According to Kohli, the company works on innovations on its mobile and DTH services at least six months in advance.

For mobile services, it works with a score of application developers. "It is a buyer's market," says Bharti Airtel Director (marketing and communication) Shireesh Mukund Joshi who recently joined from PepsiCo in China.

"The best developer first comes to us because of our size. It gives him maximum visibility." (Bharti Airtel also has its own team of application developers but they work on features for rural telephony.)