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Airtel to invest Rs 150 crore in expansion in Karnataka
Bangalore, Aug 09: Karnataka`s leading cellular service provider Airtel will invest Rs 150 crore in expanding its presence in the state to 135 towns by December 2003, a top official of the company said.
Bangalore, Aug 09: Karnataka's leading cellular service provider Airtel will invest Rs 150 crore in expanding its presence in the state to 135 towns by December 2003, a top official of the company said.
With the current expansion drive, the number of Base Terminal Station (BTS) sites of the company would go up to 450, Jagdish Kini, CEO, south central region, Bharti Mobile Limited, told the reporters.
With Airtel crossing the five lakh customer mark in the state today, it emerged as the first service provider in the southern region to achieve this milestone, he said.
With the proposed investment on infrastructure to strengthen the network, Bharti Mobile would have a total investment of Rs 1000 crore in Karnataka, he said.
In the quarter ended June 30, 2003, Airtel's share of the new entrants into mobility was 51 per cent as against 37 per cent of the nearest competitor, BSNL, according to Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) figures for the period, he said.
The industry as a whole grew by 21 per cent while Airtel registered a growth of 24 per cent in the quarter, he said.
"The last one lakh customers have become a part of our network in just 75 days, which shows phenomenal customer support", Kini said.
Airtel which would soon have its branch offices in Hubli and Mangalore hoped to widen its distribution network from the present 9,193 retail outlets to 15,000 by this year end, Kini said. "We are hoping to achieve a customer base of over one million by March 2004", he added.
Bureau Report
With Airtel crossing the five lakh customer mark in the state today, it emerged as the first service provider in the southern region to achieve this milestone, he said.
With the proposed investment on infrastructure to strengthen the network, Bharti Mobile would have a total investment of Rs 1000 crore in Karnataka, he said.
In the quarter ended June 30, 2003, Airtel's share of the new entrants into mobility was 51 per cent as against 37 per cent of the nearest competitor, BSNL, according to Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) figures for the period, he said.
The industry as a whole grew by 21 per cent while Airtel registered a growth of 24 per cent in the quarter, he said.
"The last one lakh customers have become a part of our network in just 75 days, which shows phenomenal customer support", Kini said.
Airtel which would soon have its branch offices in Hubli and Mangalore hoped to widen its distribution network from the present 9,193 retail outlets to 15,000 by this year end, Kini said. "We are hoping to achieve a customer base of over one million by March 2004", he added.
Bureau Report