What can we expect from Telenor Satellite Broadcasting (TSBc) – especially in the CEE region – now that it finds itself with a new CEO?
Although Morten Tengs’s appointment was announced earlier this year, he has only been in the post for a couple of weeks or so and still arguably settling into his new position. However, having had the opportunity of speaking with him earlier this week I came away with the impression that he already has a clear vision of where he wants to take the company.
Firstly some background. Tengs is no newcomer to Telenor, having been with the company since 1995 and held a number of senior executive positions, most recently as part of Telenor Group’s regional management team in Asia, where he was based in Bangkok.
While acknowledging the Far East and the markets TSBc operates in are very different, the objectives are in his view the same, with the most important being understanding customers’ – and by that he doesn’t mean just resellers, but customers in general – needs.
Asked about what the biggest challenges currently facing TSBc are, he identified the number priority one as being the launch of Thor 7 in the planned timeframe (2014), despite there also being a number of smaller issues.
Commenting on the role TSBc is playing in Bulgaria, he said that the white label shared platform being adopted with Neterra is not one the company has developed but rather brought forward in this specific case. Furthermore, while it is not a model that TSBc will actively go for in other markets, it will be considered if the opportunities exist.
Tengs said it was wrong to point to any specific country in CEE when discussing priority markets as the company has a strategy that covers the whole region. There is a general acknowledgement within the industry that there will be considerable growth in CEE in the future.
Thor 7 will, in Tengs’ view, be a significant milestone for the company and in fact take it to the next level. Its revenues, profits and customer numbers will increase, both in the broadcast and maritime sectors.
When asked about where he saw TSBc in five years from now, Tengs said he would like to see it grow and become more customer focused. In his view, the industry as a whole has until now been very focused on technology.
