AirTel launches mobile services in J&K
By Our Corporate Bureau | 21 Oct 2004
New Delhi: Airtel has become the first private sector cellular services provider to launch its mobile services in Jammu & Kashmir.
With this launch AirTel now has a presence in 19 circles across the country. The company has earmarked an investment of Rs125 crore during the current fiscal to cover 100 towns across the state.
Also now mobile subscribers in other parts of the country will be able to roam in Kashmir. In the next few months, the company plans to launch its services in Bihar, Assam and North East states.
Sunil Mittal, chairman and managing director, Bharti Tele-Ventures, said, "The launch of AirTel mobile service will have a profound impact on the economic growth of the entire region as it would bridge distances, provide employment and also encourage tourism."
He added that AirTel has received confirmed bookings from 50,000 consumers across the state. The company has begun the service with 90 cell sites across 46 towns, to be expanded to 118 sites later. The network is managed by Swedish equipment manufacturer Ericsson and is GPRS ready (general packet radio services).
Bharti has employed 200 people for its operations in J&K directly and another 1,000 through its distribution channel.
For the first time, the company has deployed three mobile switching centres (MSC) in the state owing to the hilly terrain. In other states where it launched operations the company started with a single MSC.
The state-owned operator, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, had launched its mobile services in the state a year back and now has a subscriber base of one lakh. Reliance Infocomm is also said to be considering launching its telecom services in J&K very soon.