However, servicing the Philippines also highlights "an important lesson in servicing EMs," Joshi adds. "Each country has its own nuances, its (markets') own buying attitudes, so responses need to be specific to local demands. There is a need to adapt to EM needs."

Tata Communications itself has grown 21% in five years as it targets EMs, specifically offering, among others, IP (Internet protocol), MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching), and Ethernet to such EMs as the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia, also among others. "We will continue to invest where customers want to go and to grow," Joshi says.

This, he adds, remains the best way to effectively tap EMs.

--With Notes from Deb Gutierrez